Liverpool [UK]: Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa said on Saturday (local time) that Tokyo intends to urge China to act responsibly in the East and South China Seas, Hong Kong, and its Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Hayashi said Japan opposes China’s unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. He said Japan also has serious concern over the human rights situations in Hong Kong and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, reported NHK World. Hayashi was speaking during the first session of a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting, which opened in the English city of Liverpool on Saturday. The first session focused on China, Russia, and other regional situations. The ministers also exchanged views on the diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Australia, India, and South Korea are taking part in the two-day meeting. Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are also participating in some of the debates, reported NHK World. The participants plan to compile a document on the outcome of their discussions on the security and human rights issues as well as their measures against the coronavirus pandemic.
