G-7 to express ‘strong opposition’ to militarization of South China Sea (Japan Times, 24 May 2016)
The Group of Seven leaders meeting in Japan this week will express “strong opposition” to island construction and militarization of outposts in the South China Sea in a veiled criticism of Beijing’s actions to assert its claims to disputed islands and atolls, G-7 sources said. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is eager to show a unified response with his G-7 peers to China’s attempts to force a shift in the status quo in the South China Sea, where Beijing is engaged in territorial disputes with the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.