US urges China to cease military, diplomatic, economic pressure against Taiwan

Washington [US], April 22 (ANI): The US on Friday urged China to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan, and instead engage in meaningful dialogue.
"We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan," said US Department of State Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel during a press briefing on Friday.
He said: "The US will continue to support a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues consistent with the wishes and the interests of the people of Taiwan."
"And of course, we will go about this in coordination with our important allies and partners, of which of course the Republic of Korea is one of them. And we will keep coordinating with friends and allies across the Indo-Pacific to advance what we believe is our shared prosperity and security values, including preserving peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," Patel said.
The Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers recently declared that peace and stability were an "indispensable element" of global security while reiterating their call to China to behave responsibly as a member of the international community.
In a joint statement issued after a three-day meeting at Karuizawa in central Japan, the foreign ministers emphasized: "There is no change in the basic positions of the G-7 members on Taiwan."
Expressing concern about the situation in the East and South China Seas, the ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, plus the European Union, opposed China's "militarization activities" in the region.
The G-7 joint statement comes in the wake of French President Emmanual Macron's remarks during his recent visit to China where he said that Europe should not become a "follower" of either Beijing or Washington and avoid getting involved in any conflict between the two countries over Taiwan.
The communique issued by the G-7 ministers after the meeting in Japan read, "We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas. We strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion. There is no legal basis for China's expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, and we oppose China's militarization activities in the region." (ANI)