Foreign ministers from the G7 countries on Nov. 8 vowed to crack down on the Chinese regime’s “malign” practices, including the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) illegitimate technology transfers that “distort the global economy,” but they stressed the need to work together with Beijing to tackle an array of global challenges.
Top diplomats from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the European Union, and the United States—the leading industrial nations that make up the Group of Seven—made the pledge during a G7 meeting hosted by Japan, which has assumed the G7 presidency this year, in Tokyo.
G7 members said they are “prepared to build constructive and stable relations with China” and recognize the “importance of engaging candidly and expressing ... concerns directly” to Beijing.
They further noted the need to work together with China on various global challenges and in “areas of common interest” and urged China to engage with them on such matters.
Officials also stressed they aren’t “decoupling” from China but are instead “de-risking.”
“Our policy approaches are not designed to harm China nor do we seek to thwart China’s economic progress and development. We are not decoupling or turning inwards,” they said in a joint statement.
‘Nonmarket Policies, Practices’ Affecting Global Economy
G7 members vowed to address the challenges posed by what they said are China’s “nonmarket policies and practices” that “distort the global economy.”“We will counter malign practices, such as illegitimate technology transfer or data disclosure. We will foster resilience to economic coercion,” the group continued. “We also recognize the necessity of protecting certain advanced technologies that could be used to threaten our national security without unduly limiting trade and investment.”
“We call on China to act as a responsible member of the international community.”
The statement comes as China has increasingly come under fire over its 2017 National Intelligence Law, which requires companies to support the CCP’s intelligence work, meaning that they’re unable to withhold data collected from Chinese authorities if those authorities request it.
In its joint statement on Nov. 8, the G7 members went on to welcome China’s “participation” in the Ukraine-led peace process, but they called on Beijing to stop assisting Russia in its war against neighboring Ukraine and instead press Moscow to stop its military aggression.
G7 ‘Strongly Opposes’ Attempts to Change ’Status Quo’
China has been reluctant to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, and last year declared a “no-limits partnership” with Moscow while signing gas and oil contracts worth an estimated $117.5 billion, effectively alleviating some of the financial woes facing the sanction-crippled nation.Still, Beijing has attempted to present itself as neutral amid the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict while promoting a 12-point alleged “peace plan” that includes a ceasefire and a resumption of peace talks.
Also in the Nov. 8 statement, G7 nations stressed that the CCP has a responsibility to uphold the international laws and principles of the U.N. Charter “in their entirety,” and expressed concerns over the situation in the East and South China seas, while reaffirming their support for Taiwan and the self-ruling island nation’s peace and stability amid China’s increasingly aggressive behavior.
Officials said on Nov. 8 that they are strongly opposed to “any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion” anywhere in the world, adding that such attempts “undermine the rule of law, which protects all nations, especially the vulnerable, as well as global security and human dignity.”
“We remain deeply concerned about foreign interference, information manipulation, and other hostile actions designed to undermine our democracies,” the group stated. “We call on China ... not to conduct interference activities, aimed at undermining the security and safety of our communities, the integrity of our democratic institutions, and our economic prosperity.”
