China summons Japanese ambassador over ‘smears’ at G7 summit

News Snapshot:

China’s deputy foreign minister summoned the Japanese ambassador to register an official protest over what the ministry called the “hype around China-related issues” at the G7 summit in Hiroshima over the weekend. On Saturday, G7 leaders issued a communique that warned China over its “militarisation activities” in the Asia-Pacific region, but that also stated that the bloc wanted “constructive and stable relations” with Beijing. The leaders of the Quad group – Australia, India, Japan and the US – also delivered a thinly veiled criticism of Beijing, calling for “peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific maritime domain”. “We strongly oppose destabilising...