For U.S. President Joe Biden, uniting the Group of Seven nations to counter Chinese influence in the world may prove a daunting challenge — something that was on full display as the summit concluded over the weekend.
At the summit in England, G7 leaders agreed to a joint communique that singled out China by name a handful of times, but did not overtly condemn Beijing. The resulting statement signaled divisions between a more confrontational U.S.-led side and another looking to work with the Asian powerhouse on certain issues such as climate change.
Amid allegations of crimes against humanity and the genocide of China’s Muslim Uyghur minority, as well as the crackdown in Hong Kong, the G7 leaders urged Beijing to “respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, especially in relation to Xinjiang and those rights, freedoms and high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law.”