China calls in question G7 members 'credibility'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News Websites
21 May 2023 12:50

Beijing has accused the group led by the United States of attempting to impose its will on others.

G7 members visit the Peace Memorial Park as part of the G7 Leaders'Summit in Hiroshima on May 19, 2023. (Reuters)

The worldwide community will not accept the G7's pro-Western principles and will not enable the US-led group to control world affairs, the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated on Saturday.

According to the statement, “China will never accept the so-called rules imposed by the few. The international community does not and will not accept the G7-dominated Western rules that seek to divide the world based on ideologies and values,”

The Chinese foreign ministry accused the group of using "America-first" policies and trying to impose its will on others, calling into question how little "international credibility means to the G7."

The Group of Seven is an informal group comprised of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. Officials from the EU are usually present at the yearly sessions.

In a joint declaration issued on Saturday at the G7 meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, the G7 cited a number of complaints leveled at Beijing, including intellectual theft, "economic coercion," and domestic human rights violations. According to the organization, it firmly opposes "any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force" in relation to Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov similarly criticized the G7 summit decisions, adopting the same line of reasoning of the Chinese foreign ministry.

Lavrov added that the countries of the Global South were prepared to "resist the diktat" of the West and that a "fault line" was developing between the collective West and the countries of the Global South and the East, which make up the majority of the world's population.

China responded by asserting that the affairs which concern Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet "Are purely China's internal affairs."

Beijing additionally accused the group of trivializing peace in the region by supporting Taiwan's independence.

Despite G7 nations' refusal to formally establish diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the US has provided weaponry to Taipei and committed to defending it from a hypothetical mainland invasion. US lawmakers have also visited with Taiwanese officials, drawing sharp criticism from Beijing, which rejects any diplomatic interactions with the Taipei administration.