The Jerusalem Post

G7 chides Beijing on rights, demands COVID origins probe

China: ‘Small’ groups of countries can no longer rule world

- • By GUY FAULCONBRI­DGE

CARBIS BAY, England (Reuters) – Group of Seven leaders on Sunday scolded China over human rights in its Xinjiang region, called for Hong Kong to keep a high degree of autonomy and demanded a full and thorough investigat­ion of the origins of the coronaviru­s in China.

After discussing how to come up with a unified position on China, leaders issued a highly critical final communiqué that delved into what are for China some of the most sensitive issues, including also Taiwan.

The re-emergence of China as a leading global power is considered to be one of the most significan­t geopolitic­al events of recent times, alongside the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union.

China’s rise has also unnerved the US: President Joe Biden casts China as the main strategic competitor and has vowed to confront China’s “economic abuses” and push back against human rights violations.

“We will promote our values, including by calling on China to respect human rights and fundamenta­l freedoms, especially in relation to Xinjiang and those rights, freedoms and high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaratio­n,” the G7 said.

The G7 also called for a transparen­t, expert-led Phase 2 COVID-19 Origins study including in China, to be convened by the World Health Organizati­on. Reuters earlier reported the finalized version of the draft communiqué.

“We haven’t had access to the laboratori­es,” Biden told reporters.

Biden said it was not yet certain whether or not “a bat interfacin­g with animals and the environmen­t... caused this COVID-19, or whether it was an experiment gone awry in a laboratory.”

Before the G7 criticism emerged, China pointedly cautioned G7 leaders that the days when “small” groups of countries decided the fate of the world were long gone.

The G7 also underscore­d “the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.”

“We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo and increase tensions,” they said.

Biden said democracie­s were in a global contest with “autocratic government­s,” and that the G7 had to deliver viable alternativ­es.

“We’re in a contest, not with China per se... with autocrats, autocratic government­s around the world, as to whether or not democracie­s can compete with them in a rapidly changing 21st century,” Biden told reporters.

“As I’ve told [Chinese President] Xi Jinping myself, I’m not looking for conflict. Where we cooperate, we’ll cooperate; where we disagree I’m going to state this frankly, and we are going to respond to actions that are inconsiste­nt.”

The G7 – comprising the US, Japan, Germany, France, UK, Italy and Canada – said it was concerned about forced labor in global supply chains including in the agricultur­al, solar, and garment

sectors.

Beijing has repeatedly hit back against what it perceives as attempts by Western powers to contain China. It says many major powers are still gripped by an outdated imperial mindset after years of humiliatin­g China.

UN experts and rights groups estimate that more than a million people, mainly Uighurs and other Muslim minorities, have been detained in recent years in a vast system of camps in Xinjiang.

China denies all accusation­s of forced labor or abuse. It initially denied the camps existed, but has since said they are vocational centers and are designed to combat extremism.

 ?? (Tom Nicholson/Reuters) ?? A WOMAN takes a photo with her mobile phone as a navy ship sails in the background yesterday, at the Island in St. Ives, during the G7 summit in Cornwall, England.
(Tom Nicholson/Reuters) A WOMAN takes a photo with her mobile phone as a navy ship sails in the background yesterday, at the Island in St. Ives, during the G7 summit in Cornwall, England.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Israel