China has reacted fiercely to the final G7 communique issued on Sunday by underscoring that such a “small” group of countries in reality can never decide the fate of the globe. “The days when global decisions were dictated by a small group of countries are long gone,” an official statement from the Chinese embassy in London said.
The embassy further protested the G7 communique over its highlighting China malfeasance from its mention of Taiwan to Hong Kong to Xinjiang, slamming the group of wealthy democracies as interfering in China’s sovereign affairs. The communique called on Beijing “respect human rights and fundamental freedoms” – which was reportedly language somewhat watered down compared to what the White House had pushed for.
“Stop slandering China, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and stop harming China’s interests,” an embassy spokesman said on Monday.
China’s foreign ministry also took issue with the call for a fresh international investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a section of the communique which urged strengthened “transparency and accountability”, the G7 leaders spelled out:
“This includes investigating, reporting and responding to outbreaks of unknown origin. We also call for a timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based WHO-convened Phase 2 COVID-19 Origins study including, as recommended by the expertsâ report, in China.”
According to BBC, China viewed the statement as mostly influenced by the US, exposing its “sinister” intentions:
US President Joe Biden said he was “satisfied” with the statement’s language on China.
But the Chinese embassy in the UK opposed the mentions of Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan, which it said distorted the facts and exposed the “sinister intentions of a few countries such as the United States”.
On the final G7 statement, China state-run Global Times noted, “Almost every issue on which Washington has recently attacked China has been mentioned in the communiquĂ©. On the other hand, the language of the communiquĂ© was somewhat softer than previous Washington slanders against China.”
With Biden in Brussels, a much stronger anti-China statement is imminently expected out of NATO, which is sure to rile Beijing further, resulting in the expected continued avalanche of official condemnations.
