The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven industrialized countries will begin a two-day meeting in Germany on Thursday, during which they are expected to reaffirm their commitment to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia. According to a senior G7 official, the senior G-7 diplomats are also likely to exchange views on China, which has expanded military activities in the East and South China Seas, during their talks in Munster, west Germany.
A joint statement is scheduled to be released Friday before the meeting concludes, the official said. The G-7 nations of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, as well as the European Union, have imposed economic sanctions on Russia over its invasion. of Ukraine since late February, including the asset freeze of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the country's central bank. Other penalties include a U.S. Embargo on Russian oil imports and their gradual elimination by the European Union and Japan.
The measures have contributed to a surge in global oil prices, with Russia being one of the world's largest oil producers. The meeting also comes at a time of growing concerns about global food shortages, as Moscow announced last week it would suspend a deal with Kyiv to allow Ukrainian grain exports from Black Sea ports, though Russia backed down on Wednesday. July amid food insecurity concerns, particularly in African and Middle Eastern countries that rely heavily on Ukrainian wheat and corn.
The realization of a "free and open Indo-Pacific," a vision promoted by Tokyo and Washington in a veiled counterattack to Beijing's growing maritime clout in the region, could be raised during the foreign ministers' talks, according to the official.
In late October, Chinese President Xi Jinping began an unprecedented third five-year term as Communist Party general secretary after the country held its week-long party congress twice in a decade. on the agenda, the official added, amid mounting speculation that Pyongyang will soon conduct its seventh nuclear test and its first since September 2017.
This year, G7 foreign ministers have held talks, including virtual meetings, ten times. they last met in September in New York on the outskirts of the UN Annual session of the General Assembly. Japan will replace Germany in the rotating presidency of the G-7 next year.
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