Latest news with #G7Kananaskis2025
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
G7's 'deep concern' on China's drills around Taiwan
Leaders of the G7 countries have expressed "deep concern" over China's recent large-scale military exercises around Taiwan. Foreign ministers of the G7 - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States - plus the European Union condemned Beijing's "provocative actions". "These increasingly frequent and destabilising activities are raising cross-Strait tensions and put at risk global security and prosperity," they said in a joint statement on Sunday. #G7 Foreign Ministers' statement on China's large-scale military drills around Taiwan. #G7Kananaskis2025 #G7Canada — G7 (@G7) April 6, 2025 G7 members and the international community have an interest in maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, the statement said. "We oppose any unilateral actions to threaten such peace and stability, including by force or coercion." China rejected the joint statement, calling it a "mischaracterisation of the facts and truth and an interference in China's internal affairs." "China deplores, opposes and absolutely does not accept this," a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Canada said. China's military conducted the drills over two days in early April. The military said the exercise, involving the army, navy, air force and missile unit, included precision strikes on simulated key targets. The Chinese Embassy spokesperson said that the exercises were "severe punishment" against the Taiwan government's "aggressive provocation to seek 'Taiwan independence'," as well as "a stern warning to 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces who deliberately undermine peace across the Taiwan Strait." "No external force is in any position to point fingers at this," the spokesperson continued. "We will never ever allow anyone or any force to separate Taiwan from China in any form. We will take all measures necessary to firmly safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity." In addition to regular military exercises, Chinese fighter jets fly almost daily into Taiwan's air defence zone, usually prompting a response from Taiwan's Air Force. China regards Taiwan as part of the People's Republic and has repeatedly threatened to invade it in the past. It has warned other countries, notably the US, to stop supporting Taiwan, which it regards as interference in China's domestic affairs. Democratic Taiwan, with a population of around 23.4 million, has had an has had an independent government since 1949.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Starmer to hold further Ukraine talks during week of intensive diplomacy
Sir Keir Starmer will host a virtual meeting of the 'coalition of the willing' nations on Saturday at the end of a week of intense diplomatic activity to find a peace deal in Ukraine. The Prime Minister will lead the call with around 20 like-minded allies who have expressed an interest in contributing to or supporting a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine if a deal is reached to end the war with Russia. Military chiefs from potential members of the coalition will meet in France this week, while talks between Ukraine and the US are taking place in Saudi Arabia. Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin will join counterparts in Paris on Tuesday before Defence Secretary John Healey meets opposite numbers from France, Germany, Italy and Poland in the French capital on Wednesday. The meeting of defence ministers will also be attended by representatives from Nato and the European Union, with Ukraine's Rustem Umerov dialling in. Foreign ministers from the G7 – including David Lammy and US counterpart Marco Rubio – will meet in Canada from Wednesday to Friday. Canada is hosting a #G7ForeignMinisters meeting from March 12 to 14 in Charlevoix, Quebec. Discussions will focus on Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, the Indo-Pacific, the Americas, and Africa. Follow us to stay informed #G7Canada #G7Kananaskis2025 — Canada G7 (@G7Canada) March 7, 2025 The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'There was the meeting last week, there's another meeting tomorrow, there's a defence secretary-level meeting on Wednesday, there will be the leaders' meeting on Saturday. 'Each of these meetings is obviously progressing the planning. I'm not going to get ahead of proposals being made public but obviously these discussions are ongoing, as you can see from these meetings.' The talks involving the US and Ukraine on Tuesday come after Volodymyr Zelensky, Sir Keir and French president Emmanuel Macron agreed to work on peace proposals. Sir Keir is also leading the push for what he called the 'coalition of the willing' – nations prepared to offer troops and guarantees to deter Vladimir Putin's Russia from breaking any peace deal. Not all the nations involved are expected to commit to join a peacekeeping force, they could offer logistical help for troops in Ukraine or other forms of support. But Sir Keir has stressed the need for Donald Trump's US to provide a 'backstop' security guarantee, a commitment to intervene if a European-led peacekeeping mission comes under threat. Government insiders have warned of a 'chicken and egg' situation where European and Commonwealth nations will not promise troops without US guarantees but Mr Trump will not make commitments unless Europe steps up to defend itself. The UK's national security adviser was in Kyiv for talks over the weekend with top officials ahead of the talks between the Ukrainian and American delegations. Jonathan Powell met Andriy Yermak, head of the office of the president in Ukraine. In a post on X, Mr Yermak said that they 'exchanged views on key issues on the path to achieving peace'.
