G7 Hiroshima Leaders’ Communiqué
Clean Energy Economy27. Emphasizing that the global climate and energy crisis highlights the urgent need to accelerate the clean energy transition towards achieving net-zero emissions no later than 2050 and to transform our energy systems, we underline the necessity of economic diversification and transformation, including in supply chains. In order to further promote clean energy transitions on a global scale, we are determined to increase our efforts and, in particular, will pursue secure, resilient, affordable, and sustainable clean energy supply chains, including those for critical minerals and clean energy technologies. In implementing energy transitions, we also reaffirm the importance of working collectively to avoid market distortions and ensuring a global level playing field. We will continue to work with international partners to realize a clean energy economy through concrete actions as laid out in the Clean Energy Economy Action Plan.
29. We reaffirm the growing importance of critical minerals in various fields, especially for the global clean energy transition, and the need to manage economic and security risks caused by vulnerable supply chains. We support open, fair, transparent, secure, diverse, sustainable, traceable, rules- and market-based trade in critical minerals, oppose market-distorting practices and monopolistic policies on critical minerals, and reaffirm the need to build resilient, robust, responsible, and transparent critical mineral supply chains. We are committed to strengthening our preparedness and resilience against emergencies such as market disruptions, and considering ways to jointly address any such disruptions, including through the support of the IEA’s “Voluntary Critical Mineral Security Program.” We welcome joint progress in efforts to diversify supply chains, including the refining and processing of critical minerals, such as the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP). We will support local value creation in critical minerals supply chains in line with the WTO rules. We will promote domestic and international recycling of critical minerals in collaboration with developing countries. We affirm that strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards will ensure benefits to local communities, including people living in the vicinity of areas with mineral reserves and refining and processing plants, protect workers’ rights, and promote transparency, while giving due consideration to upstream and midstream environments. In order to further promote the clean energy transition we reiterate the need to establish sustainable an resilient supply chains for critical mineral resources and products manufactured using such resources. We welcome the “Five-Point Plan for Critical Mineral Security” adopted by G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers and instruct them to implement the plan.
Regional Affairs
50. We stand together on core foreign policy and security challenges to build a more secure and prosperous future. We also reaffirm our determination to work with a wide range of partners to address pressing global challenges and to ensure that the international system is able to respond effectively to these issues.
51. We stand together as G7 partners on the following elements, which underpin our respective relations with China:
- We stand prepared to build constructive and stable relations with China, recognizing the importance of engaging candidly with and expressing our concerns directly to China. We act in our national interest. It is necessary to cooperate with China, given its role in the international community and the size of its economy, on global challenges as well as areas of common interest.
- We call on China to engage with us, including in international fora, on areas such as the climate and biodiversity crisis and the conservation of natural resources in the framework of the Paris and Kunming-Montreal Agreements, addressing vulnerable countries’ debt sustainability and financing needs, global health and macroeconomic stability.
- Our policy approaches are not designed to harm China nor do we seek to thwart China’s economic progress and development. A growing China that plays by international rules would be of global interest. We are not decoupling or turning inwards. At the same time, we recognize that economic resilience requires de-risking and diversifying. We will take steps, individually and collectively, to invest in our own economic vibrancy. We will reduce excessive dependencies in our critical supply chains.
- With a view to enabling sustainable economic relations with China, and strengthening the international trading system, we will push for a level playing field for our workers and companies. We will seek to address the challenges posed by China’s non-market policies and practices, which distort the global economy. We will counter malign practices, such as illegitimate technology transfer or data disclosure. We will foster resilience to economic coercion. We also recognize the necessity of protecting certain advanced technologies that could be used to threaten our national security without unduly limiting trade and investment.
- We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas. We strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.
- We reaffirm the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as indispensable to security and prosperity in the international community. There is no change in the basic positions of the G7 members on Taiwan, including stated one China policies. We call for a peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.
- We will keep voicing our concerns about the human rights situation in China, including in Tibet and Xinjiang where forced labor is of major concern to us. We call on China to honor its commitments under the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law, which enshrine rights, freedoms and a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong.
- We call on China to act in accordance with its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular relations, and not to conduct interference activities aimed at undermining the security and safety of our communities, the integrity of our democratic institutions and our economic prosperity.
- We call on China to press Russia to stop its military aggression, and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine. We encourage China to support a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on territorial integrity and the principles and purposes of the UN Charter, including through its direct dialogue with Ukraine
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