Troubled about the Pentagon’s position on Taiwan, deemed “non-essential” to US interests, members of the G7, including Japan, demanded that the summit voice its support for Taiwan.

The final communiqué said, "We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China seas and strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo and increase tensions."

The aim is to prevent Beijing from interpreting the conclusions of the US-Russia summit in Geneva, Yalta II, as an authorization to annex the island.