Group of Seven leaders are expected to agree to ramp up pressure on China to curb its growing military assertiveness on the second day of sessions at a summit in Italy on Friday, while condemning the deepening ties between Russia and North Korea.
G7 members are gathering amid fears that China's military activities and Moscow's prolonged invasion of Ukraine as well as North Korea's missile and nuclear development are a threat to security in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
The leaders are slated to issue a communique after concluding substantial discussions in Fasano, southern Italy, before Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the summit's chair, holds a press conference on Saturday to wrap up the meeting.
The G7 democracies have repeatedly expressed concerns over the situation in the East and South China seas, particularly regarding Beijing's military provocations in regional waters, including those surrounding Taiwan and the Philippines.
China's ruling Communist Party has been intensifying military pressure on Taiwan. Beijing views the self-ruled democratic island as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.
For Japan, escalating tensions between Beijing and Taipei are one of the most serious security challenges, given the proximity of its southwestern remote island chain to Taiwan, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida saying, "Ukraine may be tomorrow's East Asia."
In an effort to keep the interest of other G7 members focused on Taiwan, Kishida, who hosted a summit in his home constituency of Hiroshima in May 2023, has also argued that the security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific region are "inseparable."
In the South China Sea, meanwhile, Chinese coast guard ships have recently used water cannons against Philippine vessels near disputed shoals, resulting in severe damage to a vessel and injuries to its crew.
China believes it has sovereignty over almost the entire sea, although a 2016 international tribunal ruling invalidated its claim. Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines claim parts of the resource-rich waters, home to some of the world's busiest sea lanes.
On the economic front, the G7 members have been worried about the negative impact of Chinese industrial overproduction in sectors such as electric vehicles and solar panels, assisted by government support.
Among the other key topics related to the Indo-Pacific region is the increasingly strong military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, as Pyongyang has allegedly transferred ballistic missiles to Moscow for use in the war in Ukraine.
U.N. Security Council resolutions ban North Korea from exporting weapons.
On Thursday, the G7 leaders held discussions on how to deal with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas in the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip, climate change, development in Africa and other issues.
