The Group of Seven (G7) concluded a three-day leaders’ summit on Sunday (June 13) with a communiqué in which G7 leaders publicly urged the Communist Party of China (CPC) to respect human rights in Xinjiang, allow autonomy for Hong Kong and cease actions that destabilize the East and South China Seas. the G7 also called for a new investigation into the origins of the coronavirus (the Chinese Communist Party virus) and to combat forced labor in global supply chains.
Confronting the Chinese Communist Party was one of the focal issues during the G7 summit, with heads of state discussing strategic competition with Beijing. In recent years, they have been searching for a coherent response to the growing threat of the CCP.
The 25-page G7 communiqué covered issues ranging from dealing with the COVID-19 (pneumonia disease caused by a Chinese Communist virus) pandemic to the global economy, taxes, trade and education for girls. In the section on China, the leaders called on the CCP to respect human rights and freedoms, particularly in the Xinjiang region and Hong Kong.
Communiqué publicly names Chinese Communist Party
In addition, according to the draft G7 summit communiqué, G7 leaders in the communiqué called on the Chinese Communist Party to respect human rights in the Xinjiang region, allow a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong and avoid any unilateral actions that could destabilize the East and South China Seas.
In the communiqué, the G7 said, “We will promote our values, including calling on China (the Chinese Communist Party) to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly with regard to Xinjiang and the rights, freedoms and a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong as set out in the Sino-British Joint Declaration.”
The G7 also said they emphasized “the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and encouraged the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues.”
The leaders of the G7, made up of the United States, Canada, Britain, Germany, Italy, France and Japan, hope to use the G7 summit as an opportunity to show the world that the richest democracies can offer an alternative to the growing influence of the Chinese Communist Party.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau chaired a G7 discussion on China on Saturday (June 12) and called on leaders to come up with a unified approach to the challenges posed by the Communist Party, Reuters said, citing a source familiar with the matter.
G7 pledges to eliminate forced labor in global supply chains
G7 countries also announced joint actions to combat forced labor in global supply chains.The G7 expressed deep concern about the use of all forms of forced labor in global supply chains, including state-sponsored forced labor of vulnerable groups and minorities, particularly those involved in major supply chains in the Xinjiang region.
In addition, leaders agreed on the importance of upholding human rights and international labor standards, and committed to protecting individuals from forced labor.
Second phase of investigation into origin of virus in China urged
In their communiqué, the G7 leaders called for a new investigation into the origins of the coronavirus (the Chinese communist virus). A team of WHO experts traveled to Wuhan earlier this year to conduct an investigation into the origin of the virus, but its final investigation report was widely seen as lacking credibility because of Beijing’s refusal to cooperate.
In their communiqué, G7 leaders urged greater transparency and accountability, including reaffirming the G7’s commitment to fully implement and improve compliance with the 2005 International Health Regulations. This includes investigating, reporting and responding to outbreaks of unknown origin.
“We also call for a timely, transparent, expert-led and science-based Phase II study of the origin of COVID-19 in China, as recommended in the expert report,” G7 leaders said.
Fighting Communist China’s Infiltration of Poorer Countries G7 to Increase Climate Finance Contributions
G7 leaders also pledged Sunday to increase climate finance contributions to help poorer countries reduce carbon emissions and combat global warming.
The world’s seven most advanced economies will recommit to the goal as part of a plan aimed at accelerating financing for infrastructure projects in developing countries and shifting to renewable and sustainable technologies.
During the G7 summit, leaders made a clear push to try to counter the growing influence of the Chinese Communist Party around the world, especially in developing countries. They signaled that they would counter Xi Jinping’s multi-trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative by offering an infrastructure plan to developing countries. But no further details have been given yet.
“Protecting our planet is the most important thing we can do as leaders for our people,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is hosting the G7 summit, said in a statement.
“As democracies, we have a responsibility to help developing countries benefit from clean growth through a fair and transparent system. The G7 has an unprecedented opportunity to drive a global green industrial revolution that has the potential to change the way we live.”
A spokeswoman for Johnson confirmed that all G7 countries will increase their contributions and said Johnson expects individual countries to determine the size of the increase “in due course.
The G7 summit confronted Beijing with issues that made the Chinese Communist Party jump. Before the G7 officially released its communiqué on Sunday, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London said, “The days when global decisions were made by a small group of countries are long gone.”
The spokesman said the only effective global system is an international order based on United Nations principles, “not so-called rules made by a handful of countries.”
A U.S. government official briefed the media on the G7 summit late Saturday. The official also said leaders are united in their willingness to criticize human rights abuses and violations of fundamental freedoms. “The most important factor that binds us together as a G7 partnership is the shared values of democracy. And, because of this partnership, we have an obligation to point out human rights abuses and other violations of our fundamental freedoms, to really use our shared values.”
G7 pledges to deliver more than 1 billion doses of vaccines worldwide
In addition to the China issue, another focus of the G7 summit was the response to the Covid-19 pandemic sweeping the world. In a statement marking the end of the G7 summit, summit host and British Prime Minister Johnson confirmed that G7 leaders have pledged to provide more than 1 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine to the rest of the world – either directly to help or through funding to the COVAX global vaccine sharing program.
“I am pleased to announce that this weekend (G7) leaders have pledged to provide more than one billion doses of vaccine, either directly to help or through funding to COVAX. This includes 100 million doses from the United Kingdom to the world’s poorest countries, which is another big step forward in making vaccination a reality globally.” Johnson said.
“What we need to do as the G7 is to show the rest of the world the benefits of democracy, freedom and human rights …… We can do that by working together to stop the devastation caused by the coronavirus from happening again,” he added.
Recent Comments