Biden urges G7 leaders to rebuke China’s misdeeds [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• During his meet-up with the G7 leaders in the UK this weekend, US President Joe Biden encouraged his allies to rebuke China’s social and economic wrongdoings.
• Biden was firm on his goal to slow down and halt China’s growing economic power.
• Some officials from the G7 were skeptical of opposing China amid their ongoing ties.

Over his weekend visit to the UK, US President Joe Biden urged the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) coalition to impose a unified reproach against China following its malpractices of forced labor and human-rights abuses, among others.

In a press briefing, a senior Biden official said that the G7 leaders discovered that they had a “very strong and shared foundation” for a collective action against China.

“And more than just speaking out, taking action, responding to forced-labor in supply chains, again, including from Xinjiang,” the official said, citing a specific issue that human rights groups claimed against China’s inhumane crimes.

Biden’s first international summit revolved on his foreign policy plan to slow down China’s increasing global economic power and influence.

In an announcement following the summit, the G7 said that it would implement a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure scheme that would compete against the Belt and Road Initiative of the Asian powerhouse.

According to White House officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the coalition was able to establish “convergence” during the roundtable discussion.

They said that the Democrat president encouraged other G7 leaders to publicly denounce China’s “practices that are harmful and distorting the global economy.”

Per official readouts, Biden talked about China with French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi during his breakout one-on-one sessions.

In a report by Politico, though, a few UK officials have opted to refrain from touching China’s human-rights abuses given their existing collaborative trading programs with China.

Other Italian, German and EU authorities have also expressed doubts on giving China a hard time amid their current economic relations, per the New York Times.

In April, Japan made a similar stance during a White House visit as reported by the Washington Post.

Speaking with Reuters, a Chinese embassy representative in London said that the “days when global decisions were dictated by a small group of countries are long gone.”

“We 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 representative added. 

Biden’s persuasion efforts are yet to manifest and will be tested once the summit is concluded.

Source: Business Insider