G7 nations tell China to keep peace with Taiwan

In the most direct criticism of China, the final communique said member nations were committed to maintaining ‘peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait’.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison attends a pull-aside meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Picture: Adam Taylor/PMO.

Scott Morrison spoke to G7 leaders about China’s “differences in world view” and its list of 14 grievances against Australia in a private address on supporting open societies, ahead of the high-powered grouping calling out Beijing and Moscow over human rights abuses, cyber attacks and destabilising behaviour.

The final G7 summit communique detailed concerns over the actions of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea and said the world’s most powerful democracies would defend “a free and open Indo-Pacific … based on the rule of law”.

In the most direct criticism of China at a G7 summit, the communique said member nations were committed to maintaining “peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait” and encouraging the “peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues”.

“We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo and increase tensions,” the G7 communique said.

Mr Morrison also said the Chinese embassy’s list of 14 grievances with Australia was not a surprise to G7 leaders given recent tensions, but conceded “they may never be able to be resolved”.

“But living with China, which is the goal, also requires us to be very clear about what our values are, what our principles are, how our countries are run. And how we will continue to run,” the Prime Minister told The Australian.

Speaking before flying into London, Mr Morrison said the way forward was “to be consistent and clear and resolute in the positions that you hold but with the objective of getting to a point where we once again can engage in the dialogue and the partnership that we have in the past. But not at the cost or the price of any of the issues that were set out on those 14 points being conceded,” he said.

After the three-day summit in the Cornish seaside village of Carbis Bay, G7 nations said they would “promote our values” and call out human rights abuses.

“Including by calling on China to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, especially in relation to Xinjiang and those rights, freedoms and high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law,” the communique said.

In brief comments before a bilateral meeting with Mr Morrison on Sunday, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said “the only difference in views (at the G7) was the intensity of the message to China”, reflecting hesitation by some European nations in escalating tensions with Beijing.

Mr Morrison said some European nations had a “different perspective because of their geography”.

“They have a different perspective because of their economies. We have a different perspective because we live in the Indo-Pacific and so our economies are integrated into the Indo-Pacific differently to what they are in Europe.”

Responding to comments made by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that a sensible person wouldn’t discount that Covid-19 could have come from a lab, Mr Morrison said the second phase of the World Health Organisation investigation into the origins of the pandemic was “already overdue”.

“I can’t tell you how it’s sourced. I don’t know. That’s the point, we don’t know and all the potential sources should be obviously understood. And for another reason, so we know how we might be able to handle this better in the future.”