US-led G7 members are brand spokesmen of aggression: Chinese Foreign Ministry

Beijing, Aug 04: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said G7 turned blind eyes to Pelosi's Taiwan visit before it happened, but now accused China of taking actions of justice. Their hypocrisy and ugliness have been fully exposed.

"US-led G7 members are the brand spokesmen of aggression and coercion. I would like to remind their foreign ministers that it is now the third decade of the 21st century. If your minds are still stuck in the past one hundred years, there will be problems," Hua said.

The Group of Seven industrialised nations on Wednesday condemned military drills announced by China around Taiwan in the wake of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the self-ruled island.

"We are concerned by recent and announced threatening actions by the People's Republic of China (PRC), particularly live-fire exercises and economic coercion, which risk unnecessary escalation. There is no justification to use a visit as pretext for aggressive military activity in the Taiwan Strait. It is normal and routine for legislators from our countries to travel internationally. The PRC's escalatory response risks increasing tensions and destabilizing the region," the statement added.

"We call on the PRC not to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the region, and to resolve cross-Strait differences by peaceful means. There is no change in the respective one China policies, where applicable, and basic positions on Taiwan of the G7 members," the statement further said.

China's largest-ever military exercises encircling Taiwan kicked off Thursday, in a show of force straddling vital international shipping lanes after a visit to the island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.