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Chinese embassy in UK calls accusations against China ‘unreasonable’

France’s President Macron said that the G7 isn’t hostile towards China

Prime Minister Narendra Modi participates in the first Outreach Session of the G7 Summit virtually, in New Delhi | PTI Leaders at the G7 Summit | PTI

The G7 summit ended on Sunday. At the summit of leaders from the US, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and the United Kingdom, China was among the top topics of discussion. The leaders talked about Beijing’s human rights violation in Xinjiang, China’s lack of transparency on the origins of COVID-19 and several other issues including it imposing the National Security Law in Hong Kong and undermining the global economy.

Retaliating to the commentary made at G7, China, on Monday accused the G7 of “political manipulation”. 

US President Joe Biden called for Beijing to “start acting more responsibly in terms of international norms on human rights”.

The Chinese embassy in the UK reacted angrily and accused the G7 of "interference".

France’s President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday said that the G7 isn’t hostile towards China. 

“China is an economic rival from whom we expect the full respect of (international trade) rules,” Macron said.

"We will promote our values, in particular by calling on China to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms," the G7 statement read.

The state heads of the seven nations, at their first physical summit in nearly two years, discussed and announced commitments towards various issues including COVID-19 vaccinations, climate change, rights and trade.

Global Times, the tabloid under the Chinese Communist Party's flagship, in an editorial said that China needn't be threatened by the 'G7 communique’ as there is no indication that the discussions will transform into a unified hostile action against China. And that any breakthrough on this front remains difficult. 

The editorial went on to argue, "The US has a strategic plan to maintain its dominance and wants the West to unite China. European countries require cooperation from China on the economic front from a strategic point of view. The strategic differences between the US and Europe are insurmountable in China. China should have no illusions about the US but must be different from other countries from the United States. No matter what kind of "anti-Chinese united front" the United States may represent on the surface, we should all be sure that such a "united front" is weaker than it looks. The US is certainly serious, but European countries are superficial."

The G7 also called for a new investigation in China into the origins of COVID-19 -- prompting a response from the Chinese Embassy that the work must be done in a "scientific, objective and fair manner", without accepting a new investigation.

The coronavirus first appeared in central China in late 2019. And while the World Health Organization sent a team of international experts in January to probe its origins, but, the report released in March did not draw any firm conclusions, and the investigation has since come under criticism for lack of transparency and access.

The G7 also announced a new infrastructure fund which President Biden said would be "much fairer" than China's huge Belt and Road initiative.

"As long as China manages its affairs well and develops normal relations with other countries, it will be able to defeat the US conspiracy. Washington will need to work very hard to achieve this. Time will wear out the US plan. If China is steadfast on its own, there is no need to push or push it up, for the US will stumble on its own," The Global Times editorial concluded, adding that, "The US is competing with China using a Cold War mentality."

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