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Moscow and Beijing lashed out at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima, where leaders of major democracies pledged new sanctions against Russia and spoke with one voice about growing concerns about China.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov slammed the G7 on Saturday for indulging in their “own greatness” with an agenda designed to “deter” Russia and China.
Meanwhile, China’s foreign ministry accused the G7 leaders of “obstructing international peace” and said the group “should reconsider its behaviour and change course.”
Beijing had made “serious demarches” to host Japan and “other parties” over their decision to “smudge and attack” China, it said.
Russia's relentless attack on Ukraine and how to deal with an increasingly assertive Beijing loomed over the three-day gathering of the world's leading industrialised democracies in Japan – across both countries' regional seas – where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise: personal appearance.
In a historic joint communiqué issued on Saturday, G7 member states issued the group’s most detailed statement to date on a shared position on China, emphasizing the need to work with the world’s second-largest economy while also condemning its “malicious practices” and countering “coercion.”
The G7 agreements come after a hardening of attitudes towards China in some European capitals, despite differing perspectives on handling relations with the main economic partner, which the US regards as "the most serious long-term challenge to the international order."
Later that day, Beijing urged the G7 not to “become an accomplice” to US “economic coercion.”
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States are members of the G7. The European Union joins as a non-country member as well.
As European leaders headed to Asia last week, Chinese special envoy Li Hui embarked on his European tour, which Beijing hailed as a means of advancing peace talks.
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