Karuizawa, Japan, April 17 (AFP/APP):For G7 diplomats meeting in the Japanese resort town of Karuizawa, unity was the name of the game on Monday, with ministers lining up to insist there is no daylight between them on China policy.
The two days of talks are taking place under the long shadow cast by remarks from French President Emmanuel Macron, who last week suggested Europe should avoid “crises that aren’t ours”.
From the opening remarks of Monday’s first session, the desire to emphasise common ground was on clear display, with Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi telling his counterparts “the unity of the G7 is extremely important”.
Monday’s first session, and the ministers’ working dinner the night before, focused on China and regional challenges, with Hayashi urging counterparts to “demonstrate to the world the G7’s strong determination” to defend the “international order based on the rule of law”.
But comments during bilateral talks on Monday showed the direction of travel, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying discussions so far had “only reinforced the convergence of views that we have”, as he met with his French counterpart Catherine Colonna.
“We’re united, we’re giving clearly the same signal to the rest of the world that any situation requires respect of international law as a precondition to the rest,” Colonna added.