In the two-day meeting of the G7 (United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan) recently in the Japanese city of Hiroshima, the group issued a joint statement saying: "We are concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas, an emphasize the fundamental importance of peaceful management and settlement of disputes. We express our strong opposition to any intimidating, coercive or provocative unilateral actions that could alter the status quo and increase tensions." The G7 also urged " all states to refrain from such actions as land reclamations" and "building of outposts ... for military purposes."

San Juan, E. (2016, May 14). No stopping word war on territorial disputes. Panay News, p. 9.