KARUIZAWA: 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 controversial 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”.

Host Japan has put regional challenges atop the agenda, and recent events including Chinese military drills around Taiwan and North Korean missile tests have sharpened that focus.

The controversy over Macron’s remarks will prompt closer scrutiny of whatever language a final statement uses on China and its threats to seize self-ruled Taiwan.

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.

Striking a balance

The ministers are expected to agree strong language in a final statement on Tuesday, warning against militarisation of the South China Sea, and repeating opposition to any “change of the status quo by force” on Taiwan.

They are also likely to warn about the weaponisation of trade, and the need for diversification of supply chains on sensitive material like semiconductors -- seen as another message directed at Beijing.

“There is a lot of unity in the room and basically you’ll see that reflected,” a senior State Department official said.

The ministers will send the message that “we want to work with China but we are certainly going to stand up against any coercion” or market manipulation, the official added.

G7 coalition will keep a $60 per barrel price cap on seaborne Russian oil, a coalition official said, despite rising global crude prices and calls by some countries for a lower price cap to restrict Moscow’s revenues.

The G7 and Australia made the decision to maintain the cap over the past few weeks after a review of the $60 price — set in December with an aim to reduce Moscow’s ability to finance its war in Ukraine, the official said on condition of anonymity.

It comes after four weeks of gains in benchmark oil prices helped by an output cut announced by OPEC+, which groups the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies led by Russia, as well as a recovery in Chinese consumption.

Russian crude has been selling at a discount of around $30 to Brent, the official said.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2023