Commentary
The G-7 summit of developed democracies ended on an unprecedentedly tough note against the regime in China. The seven economically strongest democracies—the United States, Japan, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, and Canada—distributed a May 20 statement with a list of complaints against the regime in Beijing, including its failure to pressure Russia into ending the Ukraine invasion.
The communique also addressed a list of China “concerns” related to Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, the South China Sea, political interference in democracies, climate change, environmental conservation, vulnerable countries’ debts, global public health, and macroeconomic stability.
The statement hastened to reassure Beijing that the G-7 countries sought cooperation with China. But it implied that such cooperation was not forthcoming from the regime. The G-7 rejected economic “decoupling” from China but supported other closely-associated strategies, such as “de-risking” and “diversifying” supply chains….