Given the growing competition with authoritarian states such as Russia and China, the heads of state and government of the G7 are moving closer together. At their three-day summit in Hiroshima, Japan, on Saturday, they resolved to reduce dependency on their economies, promote new technologies and fend off political pressure.
The seven leading Western industrialized countries also set new targets for climate protection and called for regulation of artificial intelligence, as the summit’s statement shows. Ukraine is also promised continued support in the defensive struggle against Russia’s offensive war. New sanctions against Russia were announced on Friday.
On Saturday, the focus was on consultations with host countries such as India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Brazil. It was also about a new course for the G7 in dealing with China.
Von der Leyen spoke clearly
According to the participants, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said that the G7 countries have more to offer emerging and developing countries than China and Russia. “Many countries in the Global South have had bad experiences with China. They took out Chinese loans and went into a debt crisis,” she said. “All Russia has to offer these countries is weapons and mercenaries.”
Two-part course towards China
According to the decision, the major Western industrialized countries want to take a two-pronged course towards China: in addition to the commitment to cooperation, the 40-page summit statement contains clear warnings about the human rights situation, unfair competition and tensions over Taiwan.
The readiness for a “constructive and stable relationship” is emphatically emphasized. “We are acting in our national interest,” it says. “Given the role in the international community and the size of the economy, it is necessary to cooperate with China,” the G7 stressed. Climate and health protection and the stabilization of the global economy are mentioned as areas of cooperation. “Our policy approach is not to harm China. We do not want to hinder China’s economic progress and development,” the statement said.
“Increasing resilience against economic coercion”
However, the draft also contains warnings to leaders in Beijing: they will insist on a level playing field in economic cooperation and will fight illegal technology transfers. “We will strengthen the power to resist economic coercion,” it also said in connection with allegations that China is also exerting political pressure on economic dependencies. An additional statement emphasizes that it is worrying that individual states are using economic dependencies for political pressure.
Concerns about tensions in East and Southeast Asia
At the same time, the G7 countries expressed concern about regional tensions in East and Southeast Asia. There has been no change in the G7’s position that a peaceful solution can only be reached between China and Taiwan, which Beijing’s leaders consider to be a breakaway province. The statement also expressed concern about the human rights situation in Tibet and the Xinjiang region and urged freedoms and autonomy for the former British crown colony and now the Hong Kong SAR. China is also being urged to persuade Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The People’s Republic is “encouraged” to support comprehensive peace initiatives that respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Beijing furious
Beijing immediately accused the G7 countries of disparaging attacks and “interference in internal affairs”. In an unusually harsh response to the Summit of the Seven Major Democracies in Hiroshima, Japan, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said: “The G7 Group ignores China’s grave concerns and urges China to manipulate, defame and to attack on China-related matters and brutally beat themselves into interfering in China’s internal affairs.” The G7 sings the song of a peaceful world, but “suppresses the development of other countries” and erodes peace and regional stability.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman reiterated that Taiwan is considered part of the People’s Republic. The resolution of the Taiwan issue is solely a matter for the Chinese people. Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet or human rights are also “internal affairs” of China, the spokesman said of the G7’s criticism of China’s approach.
Source: Krone
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