G7 wants ‘constructive' China ties, calls out rights record
The Group of Seven has called for 'constructive' ties with China and insisted it does not seek to block the country’s development, even while taking aim at Beijing’s rights record and territorial claims.
In their communique released on Saturday, the G7 leaders struck a balance between seeking cooperation in areas like climate change and pushing back against Beijing’s increasingly assertive posture, which has upended decades-old assumptions about the global balance of power.
The leaders of the club of wealthy democracies said they did not wish to decouple from China but recognised that economic resilience required “de-risking and diversifying”.
'Our policy approaches are not designed to harm China nor do we seek to thwart China’s economic progress and development,' the G7 leaders said.
'A growing China that plays by international rules would be of global interest.'
But the G7 - made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States - said it would respond to challenges posed by China’s 'non-market policies and practices', counter 'malign practices', and 'foster resilience to economic coercion'.
.png "Advertisement")
