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G7 UPS PRESSURE ON CHINA OVER HUMAN RIGHTS, ECONOMIC COERCION
- By The Financial District
- May 6, 2021
- 2 min read
The Group of Seven (G7) countries on Wednesday stepped up pressure on China in a communique issued after their three-day foreign ministerial talks in London, touching on their concerns over Beijing's human rights abuses and coercive economic policies, while signaling support for Taiwan.
Calling China a "major power and economy with advanced technological capability," the G-7 foreign ministers said they urge Beijing to "respect human rights and fundamental freedoms" and to "assume and fulfill obligations and responsibilities commensurate with its global economic role," Kyodo News reported on May 6, 2021.
"We will work collectively to foster global economic resilience in the face of arbitrary, coercive economic policies and practices," said the ministers from the countries including the United States, Japan, and Britain in the communique.
China's alleged human rights violations against the Muslim Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang autonomous region, including reports of forced labor and forced sterilization, were mentioned as an issue warranting deep concern among the participants.
"We agree the importance of tackling instances of forced labor through our own available domestic means, including through raising awareness and providing advice and support for our business communities," the communique said.
It also expressed concerns over China's move to erode democratic elements of the electoral system in Hong Kong, as well as the situation in the East and South China seas where Beijing has been stepping up territorial claims including over the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands.
As China increases its military pressure on Taiwan, the G-7 ministers expressed support for the island's "meaningful" participation in World Health Organization (WHO) forums and the meeting of the WHO's decision-making body, particularly when the world is expanding efforts to rein in the coronavirus pandemic.
China opposes Taiwan's participation in international forums as Beijing regards the self-ruled, democratic island as a renegade province to be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. China never exercised sovereignty over Taiwan, Taipei argues.
