{"id":714,"date":"2021-06-14T15:08:59","date_gmt":"2021-06-14T12:08:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dukva.org\/en\/?p=714"},"modified":"2021-06-14T15:09:01","modified_gmt":"2021-06-14T12:09:01","slug":"us-and-europe-converge-on-historic-rebuke-of-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dukva.org\/en\/us-and-europe-converge-on-historic-rebuke-of-china\/","title":{"rendered":"US AND EUROPE CONVERGE ON HISTORIC REBUKE OF CHINA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Politco<\/a>. 13 June 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Below is an article published by Politco<\/a>. Photo:Getty Images.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaders from the G7 wealthy democracies on Sunday admonished China for its human rights abuses and unfair economic practices \u2014\u00a0creating the strongest collective warning the group has sent Beijing since President Xi Jinping\u2019s rise to power nearly a decade ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The final statement, issued at the end of the annual G7 summit, directly mentions a number of contentious issues that will roil Beijing \u2014 everything from the crackdown in Hong Kong, to encroachment on Taiwan to the use of forced labor in Xinjiang. It also calls for another international study into the origin of the coronavirus in China, and goes after China\u2019s Belt and Road initiative, a global infrastructure development project, offering a $100 billion alternative the countries claim will offer countries less predatory loans and better climate standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While many of the G7 countries had previously directed these concerns toward China individually, the collective document is significant in showing a further linking of the U.S. and Europe to better counteract China\u2019s economic and political rise. It\u2019s also a diplomatic win for U.S. President Joe Biden, who came into office in January hoping to win over European allies to a more confrontational stance on China. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe 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,\u201d the leaders said in a joint statement, referencing China\u2019s commitment to honoring the \u201cone country, two systems\u201d framework when it retook control of Hong Kong from the British in 1997.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move will almost certainly further inflame tensions between China and western allies. The two sides have been increasingly at odds over the last year, exchanging rounds of sanctions as the European Union backs away from an investment pact with China. Now, the G7 countries are explicitly needling China over its most sensitive subjects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues,\u201d the leaders said, marking the first time they had ever addressed the future of the self-governing island \u2014 which China considers to be part of its territory \u2014 as Beijing\u2019s air force stokes military tension in the region.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the final statement was even issued on Sunday, China preemptively warned the G7 not to dictate global decisions \u201cby a small group of countries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it was already clear such warnings would fall on deaf ears at the three-day gathering in the English countryside, where diplomats hammered out the final language for the G7 communiqu\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the communiqu\u00e9\u2019s section on forced labor didn\u2019t specifically name any one country, the wording is clear as to who it is referencing. A major point of contention between western allies and China currently are the widespread reports that Beijing has forced the Uyghur minority population in the Xinjiang region into internment camps and forced labor. The U.S., Canada and the EU joined forces earlier this year to collectively sanction China over the matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are concerned by the use of all forms of forced labour in global supply chains, including state-sponsored forced labour of vulnerable groups and minorities, including in the agricultural, solar, and garment sectors,\u201d the leaders said, referencing industries with supply chains that have run through Xinjiang. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe agree on the importance of upholding human rights and of international labour standards,\u201d they added. China has not ratified any International Labour Organization conventions on forced labor, a major sticking point for the stalled investment deal with the EU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The G7 leaders vowed to \u201cwork together\u201d to eradicate forced labor \u201cand to ensure that global supply chains are free from the use of forced labour.\u201d A more detailed plan would be put forth by October, they noted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the G7 commitments to tackle the pandemic came with implicit digs at China. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the countries\u2019 collective commitment to provide nearly 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses over the next year, G7 leaders made sure to note the donation came with no expectations of anything in return. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe United States is providing these half billion doses with no strings attached,\u201d Biden said at the start of the summit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

China and Russia have both been accused of using their own vaccine supply as a geopolitical tool to win strategic concessions from other countries \u2014 and to undermine the west. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur vaccine donations don\u2019t include pressure for favors, or potential concessions,\u201d Biden said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, a reiteration of a call for further investigation into the origins of the coronavirus came with a not-so-subtle knock against China, which has fought efforts for a complete inquiry into the possibility that the pandemic may have originated from a lab leak in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The G7 leaders urged \u201ca timely, transparent, expert-led, and science-based\u201d probe, led by the World Health Organization, including \u201cin China.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahead of the communiqu\u00e9\u2019s release, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London, said: \u201cWe 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. The days when global decisions were dictated by a small group of countries are long gone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In total, the statement is seen as a win for the Biden administration, while EU leaders were satisfied with the dual focus on both competition and cooperation with China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThree years ago, China wasn\u2019t even mentioned in the G7 communiqu\u00e9. This year there is a section on China,\u201d a White House official said. \u201cThis has been an unusually substantive and productive G7.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made it clear that the scheme to step up G7 investment in Africa was aimed at Beijing\u2019s growing influence, saying in an interview with Euronews: \u201cIt is first important to convince our partners with us, the investment comes without strings attached compared to China.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without naming any countries, European Council President Charles Michel added: \u201cLiberal democracies and open societies face pressure from authoritarian regimes. This challenge has prompted us to join forces during the G7.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A senior EU official said the EU still wants to \u201cconstructively engage with China on issues such as climate change.\u201d He added that the other G7 countries are \u201cin agreement\u201d with the EU\u2019s quest for a \u201cmultifaceted approach\u201d to China involving partnership, competition and systemic rivalry \u2014 a common phrase EU leaders use to describe their relationship with China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, the White House official described the joint statement as showing the \u201cmajor lines of effort that President Biden has asked the world\u2019s democracies to organize around,\u201d adding: \u201cOn all of them there was strategic convergence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even German Chancellor Angela Merkel \u2014 a paramount proponent of the EU-China investment agreement \u2014 had sharp words for Beijing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur goal is to see significant progress\u201d on labor rights in China, she said when asked by POLITICO. \u201cThere has to be progress compared to the current situation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Politco. 13 June 2021 Below is an article published by Politco. Photo:Getty Images. Leaders from the G7 wealthy democracies on Sunday admonished China for its human rights abuses and unfair economic practices \u2014\u00a0creating the strongest collective warning the group has sent Beijing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dukva.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dukva.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dukva.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dukva.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dukva.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=714"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dukva.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":715,"href":"https:\/\/dukva.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/714\/revisions\/715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dukva.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dukva.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dukva.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}