TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Saturday (June 15) welcomed a statement by the G7 leaders meeting in Italy voicing its support for Taiwan’s bid to attend international organizations.

It was the first time for a G7 summit to mention Taiwan’s efforts, MOFA said in the statement. Support for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait featured in the leaders’ communique for the fourth year running.

In a chapter about the Indo-Pacific, the 36-page Leaders’ Communique mentioned at the bottom of page 11 that “maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is indispensable to international security and prosperity.” The G7 expressed support for Taiwan’s presence at the World Health Assembly (WHA) and at World Health Organization (WHO) technical meetings.

After saying there had been no change in G7 positions on Taiwan, “including stated one China policies,” the leaders called for a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues. The leaders of the seven main industrial nations also berated China for being the author of “malicious cyber activity” and for its obstruction of freedom of navigation in areas including the South China Sea.