Blinken goes to London for G7 foreign ministers meeting, unites allies to pressure CCP

A meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers will be held in London, England, from May 3-5. As part of the U.S. effort to unite allies against the Chinese Communist Party, U.S. Secretary of State John Blinken leaves for London on Sunday (May 2). In addition, Blinken’s trip will also express U.S. support for Ukraine.

Japanese media Kyodo News reported that Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimichi Motegi will hold talks with Secretary of State Blinken in London on the morning of the 3rd, and the two will share their understanding that “the G7 should unite to deal with the Chinese Communist Party and North Korea” before the opening of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting.

This will be another meeting between the two after Blinken’s visit in March this year. The meeting will build on the first summit meeting between US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in April to discuss strengthening the US-Japan alliance, as well as the situation in the East China Sea, South China Sea and Myanmar.

The report said that South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong will be invited as a guest to the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in London, and that the U.S. and Japanese governments are discussing holding talks between the U.S., Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers at that time as well.

The G7 includes the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.

Bloomberg said the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in London kicked off Blinken’s five-day trip to Europe and will help lay the groundwork for President Biden’s participation in the G7 leaders’ summit in June this year. Blinken will also visit Ukraine this time to express U.S. support for the country as it faces an increasingly serious challenge from Russia.

Erica Barks-Ruggles, acting director of the State Department’s Bureau of International Affairs, told reporters Friday (April 30) that the U.S. does not want its allies to “pick and choose,” but rather to uphold rules that the Communist Party refuses to follow.

“I don’t think the goal (of the allies) is to get a completely unified view on everything.” Bonnie Glaser, director of the Asia program at the German Marshall Fund, said, “There is a realization that there are areas where our interests are not completely aligned, and I think there will always be overlap, and the question is whether we can agree on a way to work together.”