Japan Wary of Potential G-7 Summit Invite to China

Tokyo, Dec. 6 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is concerned about the possibility of France inviting China to next year’s Group of Seven summit in the European country, which could undermine the G-7’s unity against China. Last month, Bloomberg reported that French President Emmanuel Macron was considering inviting Chinese President Xi Jinping to the G-7 summit, which is scheduled to be held in Evian, eastern France, in June next year. Regarding this report, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said at a press conference on Friday, “Japan attaches importance to the unity of the G-7, which shares basic values and strategic interests such as liberal democracy and the rule of law.” According to a senior Foreign Ministry official, Macron has long intended to invite China to a G-7 summit. On Thursday, Macron met with Xi Jinping in Beijing and expressed his willingness to boost cooperation between the G-7 and China in order to address economic imbalances. Neither France nor China has clarified whether an invitation to the G-7 summit was extended, but a Japanese government official said, “If France really wants to invite China, it may have communicated its intention during the meeting.” As the only Asian member of the G-7, Japan has spoken out against China’s maritime activities and economic coercion. “A meeting of the G-7 is an opportunity to work together to send a clear message to China,” a senior Japanese government official emphasized. “Europe must be aware of the many problems regarding China,” another government official said. “We don’t know how seriously France is considering (inviting China). We just need to keep paying close attention.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]