G7 shakes hands with Xi Jinping
“It is not our approach to harm China”
05/20/2023 06:36 am
In recent months, the United States in particular has been increasingly critical of China. At the G7 summit in Japan, the leading democratic economic powers of the People’s Republic now want to shake hands. In the planned final declaration, however, they also remind you that we are not naïve.
The G7 heads of state and government have emphasized their readiness for a “constructive and stable relationship” with China – but have warned Beijing on a number of issues, from human rights to threats against Taiwan. “We act out of our national interest,” says the draft of the final declaration of the summit in Hiroshima, Japan.
“In view of the role in the international community and the size of the economy, it is necessary to cooperate with China,” emphasize the most important western industrialized countries. “Our policy approach is not to harm China. We do not want to hinder China’s economic progress and development.”
In the weeks leading up to the summit, there had been discussions because the US wanted to use tougher language against China. The planned final declaration now emphasizes that no decoupling is planned. At the same time, the G7 point out that they are not naïve. “We recognize that economic resilience requires de-risking and diversification.” Above all, the aim is to reduce the excessive dependence on China in important supply chains, referring to raw material deliveries, for example.
carrot and stick
The draft also contains warning messages to Beijing: They insist on equal conditions in economic cooperation and will fight illegal technology transfer. “We will strengthen the power to resist economic coercion,” it said in relation to the accusation that China is also exerting political pressure through economic dependencies. At the same time, the G7 countries are concerned about regional tensions in East and Southeast Asia. Nothing has changed in the G7 position that there can only be a peaceful solution between China and Taiwan, which Beijing sees as a breakaway island.
The statement also raised concerns about the human rights situation in Tibet and the Xinjiang region, and emphasized freedoms and autonomy for the former British crown colony of Hong Kong.
China is also urged to persuade Russia to end the war in Ukraine. Beijing is “encouraged” to support sweeping peace initiatives that respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity. A final wording on the controversial investment screening for particularly sensitive technologies was still open in the draft. Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized on Friday that one had to take a specific look at individual cases where security policy issues were concerned.