Japanese food : TOKYO, October 29 (Reuters). The Group of Seven industrial powers (G7) on Sunday called for the “immediate lifting” of restrictions on Japanese food imports, citing China’s restrictions after Japan began draining Japanese sewage. Fukushima nuclear power plant. G7 trade ministers did not mention China in a statement after a weekend meeting in Osaka, but they also condemned China’s growing economic coercion through trade.
The 10-page statement said: “We deplore the weapon of economic dependence and are committed to free, fair and mutually beneficial economic and trade relations.” Two months ago, when Japan began releasing radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, China imposed a blanket moratorium on Japanese fish imports. Russia announced similar restrictions earlier this month, although Japan and the US called the restrictions unfair. China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the G7’s outdoor statement.
The G7 – the US, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada – expressed “concern” about the latest export controls on key minerals. China, the world’s biggest producer of graphite, this month announced export restrictions on the key material for electric vehicle batteries, another move to control supplies of the key mineral as it faces challenges over global dominance.
G7 ministers “agreed that there is a really big need to reduce dependence on specific countries for critical resources,” said Yasunomi Nishimura, trade minister of host country Japan. “We fully agree to build strong and reliable supply chains for critical minerals, semiconductors and batteries,” he told a news conference.
The statement said ministers reiterated concerns about “widespread and evolving non-market policies”, including “pervasive, opaque and trade-distorting industrial subsidies” and forced technology transfers. On Russia, G7 officials condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for damaging Ukraine’s grain export infrastructure and condemned Moscow’s decision to “unilaterally” withdraw from negotiations on a deal that would have allowed the grain giant to export wheat and other products to Ukraine. Through the Black Sea.
Unlike a meeting of G7 finance ministers two weeks ago, which condemned Hamas’ “terrorist attacks” on Israel, trade ministers did not mention the Middle East crisis, saying only that they were “trying to raise awareness of global economic challenges”. Transport of humanitarian goods across international borders during natural disasters and other emergencies”. Western countries generally support what they say is Israel’s right to self-defense, but the international community has grown increasingly concerned about the number of Israeli airstrikes and there are growing calls to freeze aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
