You don’t rule the world, China tells G7 governments
China on Sunday pointedly cautioned the Group of Seven leaders that the days when “small” groups of countries decided the fate of the world was long gone, hitting back at the world’s richest democracies that have sought a unified position over Beijing.
“The days when global decisions were dictated by a small group of countries are long gone,” a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London said.
“We always believe that countries, big or small, strong or weak, poor or rich, are equals, and that world affairs should be handled through consultation by all countries.”
EU and UK’S ‘sausage war’ sizzles at G7
Tensions between Britain and the EU over their Brexit trade deal exploded into an open war of words on Sunday, with both sides accusing the other of sowing disharmony at the summit.
Since the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016, the two sides have been trying to solve the riddle of what to do about Northern Ireland, which has a land border with EU member Ireland.
Over years of discussions, they have made little headway, agreeing on multiple texts and deals only to find that their solutions fall well short of expectations, and then bickering over what to do.
In a move that some worry could provoke a full-scale trade war, UK PM Boris Johnson has threatened to unilaterally suspend parts of the Northern Ireland protocol of the Brexit deal.
That protocol kept the province in the EU’S customs union and adhering to many of the single market rules, creating a regulatory border in the Irish Sea between the British province and the rest of the UK.
But Johnson has delayed the implementation of some provisions of the protocol, including checks on chilled meats such as sausages moving from the mainland to Northern Ireland, saying it was causing disruption to some supplies to the province.
During talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, Johnson had asked how he would react if Toulouse sausages couldn’t be sold in Paris markets.
Britain’s Telegraph newspaper reported that Macron responded by inaccurately saying Northern Ireland was not part of the UK.
“Various EU figures here in Carbis Bay, but frankly for months now and years, have characterised Northern Ireland as somehow a separate country and that is wrong,” UK foreign minister Dominic Raab said.
A French diplomatic source said Macron was taken aback by Johnson bringing up sausages which the British leader had said was a crucial issue. The French president had merely been pointing out the sausage comparison was invalid due to the geographic differences, the source said.