G7 foreign ministers met in Germany on Thursday (3 November) to better coordinate their policies in the face of an intensifying Russian attack on Ukraine, China’s growing assertiveness and Iran’s crackdown on protesters. Discuss ways to maintain unity.
The meeting in the western German city of Münster came amid lingering concerns about the West’s coherence to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine amid leadership changes across Europe.
Concerns are growing that the Republican Party could take control of Congress in next week’s midterm elections, potentially limiting U.S. aid to Ukraine.
“This G7 ministerial meeting comes at an important time for us,” said a senior US State Department official, noting that the group “has been an important coordinating mechanism” for policy approaches to the most pressing issues.
During the two-day conference, G7 diplomats will participate in sessions on Ukraine, China, the Indo-Pacific, Iran, Africa and more.
European Union energy commissioner Kadri Simson said during a visit to Kyiv on Tuesday that the European Union, together with partners, is exploring ways to increase support for Ukraine’s energy sector.
Ukraine needed specific equipment and tools to repair damage to its energy infrastructure, she said. Foreign companies should be encouraged to prioritize the transfer of energy equipment to Ukraine.
Asia focus
The G7 meeting also provides an opportunity for the world’s richest democracies to discuss China’s development and Indo-Pacific security after Chinese President Xi Jinping consolidated his grip on power at last month’s Communist Party Congress.
In his speech at the conference’s opening ceremony, President Xi Jinping said China would never renounce the use of force to secure reunification with the autonomous island of Taiwan, which China claims is sovereign territory.
“The foreign ministers will discuss the situation in Taiwan and how the G7 can strengthen partnerships with countries in the region,” the UK Foreign Office said in a statement.
G7 ministers also address the recent controversial decision by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to allow Chinese shipping company Cosco to invest in a terminal at the Port of Hamburg and visit Beijing on Friday. likely to
Critics say Germany’s economic interests outweigh broader security concerns in the face of an increasingly autocratic dictatorship, as her predecessor Angela Merkel did to Russia. accusing Scholz of continuing to prioritize
A senior State Department official said the United States had “strongly implied” that China did not control the Hamburg port terminals.
Germany ultimately decided to allow Cosco a 24.9% stake in the terminal, withdrawing from its original bid for a 35% stake.
Germany has also invited Ghana, Kenya and the African Union to participate in G7 meetings on climate change, infrastructure, democracy and dealing with conflict and humanitarian crises, the UK foreign ministry said.
“We are doing more in the so-called Global South, including Africa,” a senior State Department official said. “That’s going to be a feature of this discussion.”
The G7 meeting is hosted by Germany, the group’s rotating chair. Munster hosts the first major diplomatic rally since his 1648 signing of the Treaty of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years’ War in Europe.
