Defense ministers from the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations said they seek constructive and stable relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), while stating that Beijing has no legal basis for its expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea. The ministers said they are “strongly opposed to China’s repeated obstruction of freedom of navigation, militarization of disputed features and coercive and intimidating activities.”
The joint declaration in mid-October 2024 followed the inaugural defense ministerial meeting of the G7 nations of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Representatives from the European Union, NATO and Ukraine also attended the gathering in Naples, Italy.
“The brutal Russian aggressions in Ukraine,” increasing tensions in the Indo-Pacific, fighting in the Middle East and instability in Africa “highlight a deteriorated security framework,” Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said in opening remarks. On one side are countries and organizations that believe in a world order based on international law, Crosetto said, while on the other are “those who systematically disrespect democracy to pursue their objectives, including by a deliberate use of military force.”
The meeting came amid North Korea sending troops to aid Russia in its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, and the PRC’s illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive tactics, including military drills simulating blockades around Taiwan. The PRC claims the self-governed island as its territory and threatens to annex it by force. The defense ministers said that “maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is indispensable to international security and prosperity,” and they strongly opposed the PRC’s “dangerous use of Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels in the South China Sea.”
They also condemned the PRC’s support for Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. PRC and Russian companies have partnered to develop long-range, uncrewed weapon systems for use in Ukraine, Bloomberg News reported. The U.S. has imposed sanctions against the companies involved in joint “design, production and delivery of weaponry.” The PRC also provided technology and dual-use equipment for Russia to use in Ukraine, and Beijing has helped Moscow circumvent international economic sanctions and export controls.
The defense ministers called on the PRC “to cease the transfer of dual-use materials, including weapons components and equipment that are substantial inputs for Russia’s defense sector which are enabling Russia to maintain its illegal war in Ukraine.” They also expressed concern “about destabilizing actions resulting from the strengthening military cooperation between China and Russia.”
Regarding North Korea, the ministers condemned the regime’s illicit nuclear and ballistic missile programs and called for complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of North Korean weapons of mass destruction. They also condemned the increasing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, including North Korea shipping ballistic missiles to Russia in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The joint declaration did not mention North Korea deploying an estimated 11,000 troops to Russia. Afterward, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “tin-cupping,” essentially begging Pyongyang for personnel.
“The Kremlin’s North Korean gambit just underscores how badly Putin’s war has gone and how much trouble he is in,” Austin said.
Nations in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere have direct interests in promoting peace, security and prosperity in the region, including through defense and security partnerships, the ministers said. They affirmed their “commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, based on the rule of law and upholding the principle of the peaceful resolution of disputes without resorting to the threat or use of force.”
