G7 foreign ministers say China’s actions east of Taiwan threaten stability

Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven said China’s increasingly assertive actions in the waters east of Taiwan threaten stability^1,4. The ministers, who included US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and France’s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot, set out their concerns in a joint declaration after their meeting in Paris^2,4.

In the declaration, the ministers said they had serious concerns over the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea². China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up its activity around the island⁴.

Why it matters to investors

The statement follows military exercises by China’s People’s Liberation Army in the area, including the exercise it called “Justice Mission 2025”^5,6. The G7’s decision to single out activity east of Taiwan puts that area alongside the East and South China Seas as a stated concern of the group^1,2.

Taiwan’s presidential office thanked the G7 ministers for the joint statement, which it said addressed the Taiwan Strait, opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion, and expressed clear support for Taiwan³. Those are the claims of Taiwan’s government about the statement’s meaning³.

The declaration comes as Washington and Beijing also keep talking. China’s foreign minister described his call with Rubio this week as “positive”⁷. The G7 criticism of China’s military activity came in the same week as that call^1,7.

What to watch

China’s response to the declaration is the immediate item to watch, since Beijing views the island as its own territory^1,4. Any new exercises east of Taiwan would test how the G7 follows up on its words^1,5.

The statement will also be read alongside the diplomacy between the US and China, which China has described in positive terms this week⁷. For markets, the main concern is stability in the waters around Taiwan, which the G7 has now said is threatened^1,2. Taiwan’s welcome for the declaration indicates that Taipei will cite it as international support for its position³. Rubio joined the G7 criticism in the same week as his call with China’s foreign minister, a sign that Washington is pursuing both tracks^4,7.