China’s foreign minister fired a pre-emptive shot at G7 leaders gathering in Japan on Thursday, warning them not to “escalate tensions” over territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas.
Last month, foreign ministers from the G7 angered Beijing by issuing a thinly veiled statement critical of its “island building” activities in the South China Sea over recent years. The issue is expected to be raised again as G7 heads of state and prime ministers begin two days of discussions in Ise-Shima.
“We hope the G7 will focus on urgent economic and financial matters,” Wang Yi said at a briefing in Beijing. “We do not want to see actions that escalate tensions in the region.”