Unconsciously, most of June 2024 has passed, but the international situation is still changing.
Just recently, the Group of Seven (G7) leaders' summit issued a joint statement, which repeatedly mentioned China.
The Group of Seven (G7) Summit issued a joint statement on June 15, reiterating the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and calling for a peaceful settlement of the Taiwan issue.
Compared with previous years, G7's statement on Taiwan related issues this year deserves attention:
The source of information in this article is from (Voice of America, etc.) and mixed with some personal views. The details may be polished. Please read it rationally for reference only!
First, the G7 clearly opposes China's unilateral change of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait by force or coercion.
This wording is more direct than last year, highlighting the rising concern of Western countries about China's "military unification".
In recent years, with the PLA's increasingly frequent military activities around the Taiwan Strait, the United States and other countries are increasingly worried about China's use of force against Taiwan.
Therefore, the G7 has chosen to be "sharp" and take a clear-cut stand to warn and deter China.
Second, the G7 clearly supported Taiwan's "meaningful participation in international organizations" in the leaders' communique for the first time.
Although the G7 reiterated that the "one China" policy has not changed, it is undoubtedly "edging out" to support Taiwan's participation in the WHO, ICAO and other institutions as a member or observer.
For a long time, Taiwan's participation in international organizations has been restricted due to the suppression of the mainland.
This G7's statement may indicate that the West will strengthen its voice for Taiwan on international occasions and help Taiwan in diplomacy.
Third, the G7 requires China to stop supporting Russia and comply with international trade rules.
This shows that western countries have great concerns about China and Russia approaching, and fear that the two sides will form an anti US alliance.
At the same time, the G7 is more critical of China's economic and trade policies than in previous years, calling on it to stop subsidies, intellectual property infringement and other violations of free trade principles, and to uphold the multilateral trading system represented by the WTO.
It can be seen that in the context of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the G7's policy towards China is increasingly "pan security", combining sanctions against Russia and trade disputes with China to exert pressure.
In response to the G7 statement, the reaction between the two sides can be described as "ice and fire".
Taiwan received a lot of acclaim. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Presidential Palace quickly expressed their thanks and hyped the G7 statement's support for Taiwan as "unprecedented".
The Taiwan leadership led by Lai Qingde is extremely excited by the US and Europe's support for Taiwan's participation in international organizations.
What is more worth pondering is that the head of Taiwan's defense department, Gu Lixiong, publicly clamoured that the US "Indo Pacific Strategy" should be relied on to deter the mainland.
Such irresponsible remarks are undoubtedly full of antagonistic thinking and dependence on the United States.
However, if we really want to fight, Taiwan will bear the brunt as cannon fodder.
Will the United States wage a full-scale war with China for Taiwan's interests? I'm afraid few Americans are willing to die for Taiwan.
Lai Qingde was also unwilling to fall behind at the press conference of the full moon on the 20th.
On the one hand, they claimed to strengthen Taiwan's self-defense capability, on the other hand, they repeatedly stressed that they should rely on the United States to avoid war.
The contradictions between the words exposed the DPP authorities' fear of the strength of the mainland and their concern about the prospect of peaceful reunification.
He also announced the establishment of an inter ministerial committee to strengthen Taiwan's resilience in the face of emergencies.
In the face of the G7 and Taiwan's various statements, China is naturally unwilling to be outdone.
The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China said bluntly that the G7 statement was a blatant interference in China's internal affairs, which China expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to.
The Chinese Embassy in Germany also protested the false comments made by the German Foreign Ministry on the South China Sea issue between China and the Philippines, and reaffirmed China's indisputable sovereignty in the South China Sea.
At the same time, the PLA also conducted frequent drills around the Taiwan Strait and strengthened preparations for war mobilization.
The US China Economic and Security Review Committee under the US Congress also held hearings, and many experts pointed out that China is preparing for the Taiwan Strait conflict and even war with the United States.
In addition to tit for tat on the issues of Taiwan and the South China Sea, China Japan relations have also recently reached an impasse.
Just during the G7 Summit, the head of the Asia Oceania Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, who was visiting China, Nishihiro, unexpectedly put forward a series of unreasonable demands during the talks, including asking China to lift restrictions on the import of Japanese aquatic products, withdraw patrol boats from the waters near the Diaoyu Islands, and release Japanese spies arrested in China.
In the face of such a rude and arrogant attitude, China will naturally not be intimidated and intimidated, and the negotiations between the two sides ended fruitlessly.
What makes people even more angry is that Japan is also trying to use the illegal award of the so-called "South China Sea arbitration case" to make groundless accusations against China's exercise of sovereignty and rights and interests in the South China Sea.
The spokesman of the Japanese Foreign Ministry even shouted that China should abide by the ruling and stop its "militarization" in the South China Sea.
In this regard, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China solemnly refuted that the award of the South China Sea Arbitration Tribunal was illegal and invalid, and China refused to participate in the arbitration from the beginning, let alone accept the award.
It is China's inherent right to exercise sovereignty and jurisdiction in the South China Sea, which cannot be disputed by other countries.
As an extraterritorial country, Japan has no right to speak on the South China Sea issue, let alone to gossip about China.
Japan's series of provocations exposed its deep-rooted "big country" mentality and hostility to China.
In fact, from history to reality, from Taiwan to the Diaoyu Islands, Japan has been trying to fish in troubled waters on China's core interests, with the tacit consent and encouragement of the United States behind.
When Abe was in power, Sino Japanese relations fell into a strange circle of "cold politics and hot economy".
Today, the Andian government has shown a rare toughness in its policy towards China, constantly playing the "Taiwan card", frequently challenging issues in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, and bringing China Japan relations into a more dangerous situation.
In recent years, the cooperation between China, Japan and the ROK has also suffered a heavy blow around the historical legacy issues such as the South Korean forced labor case and the South Korea Japan trade friction. With the change of leaders of the two countries, the relationship between China, Japan and the ROK has turned sharply downward, especially the relationship between Japan and the ROK has fallen to the bottom, casting a shadow on the trilateral cooperation mechanism.
Therefore, under the influence of the US "Indo Pacific Strategy", Japan and South Korea have chosen different sides to stand against Huawei, which undoubtedly aggravates regional confrontation and is a dangerous move to reverse history.
While the G7 supports Taiwan and encircles China, it is worth noting that it is difficult for the western world to achieve consistency in its policies towards China.
The latest example is that the EU plans to impose punitive tariffs of up to 38% on Chinese electric vehicles, which was strongly opposed by the German automobile industry and some officials.
German Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Habak said frankly that this move would damage the interests of German enterprises or trigger a trade war.
Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao also reiterated his firm opposition to the discriminatory tariff measures taken by the EU against Chinese products when meeting with Habak.
Compared with Germany's swing position, the Biden government has always taken a tough stance on trade with China.
Recently, the United States decided to raise the tariff of China's electric vehicles from 25% to 100%, almost simultaneously with the introduction of the European Union.
From the different responses of the United States and Europe, we can see that there are still some differences in their policies towards China.
Compared with the extreme pressure imposed by the United States, Europe is more inclined to resolve differences through dialogue and negotiation.
For example, on the tariff issue of electric vehicles, China and the EU have agreed to further negotiate and seek a solution acceptable to both sides.
At a deeper level, the differences between the United States and Europe on trade with China reflect their different positions and interests in the global supply chain.
For a long time, Europe has established extensive and in-depth economic and trade ties with China, and China has already become the largest trade partner of the EU.
Germany, France and other major European countries regard China as a crucial market and investment destination.
In contrast, the trade deficit between the United States and China has remained high for a long time, and the structural contradictions on high-tech, human rights and other issues are prominent, so the strong stance of the United States on China's economic and trade policy is more distinct.
Although there are differences in specific policies between the United States and Europe, the consensus on strategic containment of China's development is constantly strengthening.
It can be seen from the successive US Europe Summit, G7 Summit and NATO Summit held since Biden took office that the western powers are constantly increasing their coordination on China related issues, and the antagonism is increasingly prominent.
China US relations are in the most difficult period since the establishment of diplomatic ties. The situation in the Taiwan Strait is also at risk of losing control at any time. China is facing profound changes in the external environment.
In general, the G7 Summit has once again highlighted that the Western powers are increasing their efforts to crusade against China, that China US relations are in the most difficult period since the establishment of diplomatic relations, and that the situation in the Taiwan Strait may go wrong at any time.
How should China deal with the unprecedented containment and suppression in the western world? The author believes that we should always adhere to the bottom line of safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and never give way to issues involving core interests. At the same time, we should pay attention to the strong, weak, rigid and flexible, and use diplomatic means flexibly.
In fact, the policy towards China within the Western camp is not monolithic. Although the United States, Europe and Japan have a common demand for joint efforts to curb China, they have their own considerations when implementing measures.
Many European countries still regard China as an important economic and trade partner and are unwilling to give up the Chinese market easily.
Although Japan has followed the United States to show its strength towards China, it dare not really cross the red line on Taiwan and other issues.
In this regard, China should seize the opportunity, strive to win over Europe, Japan and other major countries outside the region, dissolve the network of encirclement against China, and avoid being completely isolated.
We should use facts to prove that China's development and growth is not a threat to any country. It is in the common interests of all countries in the world to work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind.
Only by constantly expanding the "circle of friends" and striving for more understanding and support can we finally win the "new cold war" without gunpowder smoke.
