In response to Canada’s involvement in a statement released by the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) nations, China’s foreign ministry announced on Friday that it had summoned Canadian diplomat Jim Nickel, who is based in Beijing.
After the G7 urged China to ease tensions surrounding the Taiwan Strait peacefully on Wednesday, Beijing has issued several diplomatic grievances, the latest of which is this.
According to a Friday statement from the Chinese foreign ministry, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng summoned Nickel on Thursday and warned Canada that it must “quickly amend its mistakes” regarding Taiwan or “carry all consequences.”
The G7 Statement
The G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, as well as the High Representative of the European Union, issued the text of the following statement.
“We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, reaffirm our shared commitment to maintaining the rules-based international order, peace, and stability across the Taiwan Strait and beyond.
We are concerned by recent and announced threatening actions by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), particularly live-fire exercises and economic coercion, which risk unnecessary escalation. There is no justification to use a visit as a pretext for aggressive military activity in the Taiwan Strait. It is normal for legislators from our countries to travel internationally. The PRC’s escalatory response risks increasing tensions and destabilizing the region.
We call on the PRC not to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the region, and to resolve cross-Strait differences by peaceful means. There is no change in the respective one China policies, where applicable, and the basic positions of Taiwan among the G7 members.
We reiterate our shared and steadfast commitment to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and encourage all parties to remain calm, exercise restraint, act with transparency, and maintain open lines of communication to prevent misunderstanding.”
