The Chinese government expressed this Saturday a “strong discontent” with the seven most industrialized countries (G7) that, meeting in Japan, issued a statement criticizing China and the country’s conduct in matters such as human rights.
“The G7 persists in manipulating China-related issues, discrediting and attacking China,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
Quoted by the French news agency AFP, the same official expressed Beijing’s “firm opposition” to the positions of the G7 group of countries.
“China expresses its strong discontent and firm opposition and has lodged a formal protest with Japan, the host country of the summit, as well as other relevant parties,” it added.
On Taiwan, the ministry criticized the G7 countries for only pointing fingers at Beijing and for not showing clear opposition to the Taiwanese independence movement.
“The G7 says that it intends to move towards a peaceful, stable and prosperous world. But in reality it prevents world peace, undermines regional stability and inhibits the development of other countries,” said the Chinese spokeswoman, according to whom “this approach lacks any international credibility”.
The Chinese embassy in London, in a statement published on the Chinese social network WeChat, had also reacted to the G7’s positions, accusing the group of sowing discord against Beijing.
“Some members of the G7 ignore the principles of the market economy and fair competition, and unreasonably suppress Chinese companies. China is very unhappy and strongly opposes this,” the embassy was quoted as saying by the Spanish news agency EFE.
Meeting between Friday and Sunday in the Japanese city of Hiroshima, the members of the G7 defended this Saturday the need to reduce “excessive dependence” on China and issued a statement on the issue of Taiwan.
The leaders of the block that integrates Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, in addition to the European Union, also criticized the use of “economic coercion” as a political weapon, alluding to China. .
The G7 statement urges China “not to carry out interference activities” and expresses “concerns” about human rights “especially in Tibet and Xinjiang.”
The signatories stress “the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait” and say they are “gravely concerned” about the situation in the South China Sea, indirectly accusing China of “coercion.”
On the war in Ukraine, the G7 also challenges Beijing, Moscow’s close economic and diplomatic partner, which has so far maintained a neutral position, to “put pressure on Russia to end the aggression.”
Source: TSF
