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World leaders attending the Group of Seven this week issued a call for a new study into the origins of the coronavirus, including in China, after it was deemed the lack of a preliminary report because Beijing refused to cooperate.
In a closing statement, they also agreed to speak out against human rights abuses in China, something that was hotly discussed behind closed doors over the course of the three-day summit.
They cited Russia as harboring the networks that carried out ransomware attacks that wreaked havoc on vital systems, saying countries should do more to tackle criminal activity within their borders.
US officials have described the Chinese language in particular as a coup for President Biden, who entered the summit hoping to persuade fellow leaders to take a tougher line. He has made the rivalry between democracies and authoritarian regimes a central theme on his first foreign trip, and he wants leaders of other democracies to speak out against authoritarian regimes.
He has faced resistance from some European leaders, who do not share Biden’s view of China as an existential threat. It was not clear prior to the last session whether language specifically calling for forced labor practices or human rights violations would be included in the closing statement.
In the end, the closing statement issued on Sunday expressed “concern” about state-sponsored forced labor, particularly in the agriculture, solar energy and clothing sectors. She said China should respect human rights in Xinjiang, allow a high degree of autonomy in Hong Kong and work to avoid deteriorating security in the South China Sea.
He also called on leaders to consult with each other to find ways to confront abusive economic practices.
“The G7 has been extraordinarily objective and productive,” a White House official said.
Additional context: The summit’s closing statement came after a heated debate on language that raged overnight. US administration officials said Saturday that while Biden and other leaders have been doing well, the China issue presents an area of contention.
In particular, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and European Union leaders appear reluctant to include lines in the final document that might be seen as a provocation to China, according to senior administration officials.
Biden has endorsed in his views British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and to some extent French President Emmanuel Macron, who has adopted a tougher line on China as he faces re-election next year.
Read more about the statement here.
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