G7 to challange China’s “non-market economic practices”, provide 1 billion COVID jabs to poor nations

Half of the billion dose pledge is coming from the United States and 100 million from Britain.

The Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations agreed to challenge China’s “non-market economic practices” and call out Beijing for rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

White House officials also said Biden wanted the G-7 leaders to speak in a single voice against the forced labour practices targeting China’s Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minority.

Speaking at the end of a G7 leaders’ meeting in southwest England, the host—British Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised the “fantastic degree of harmony” among the invigorated group, which met in person for the first time in two years.

The leaders wanted to show that international cooperation is back after the confusions caused by the virus and the impulsiveness of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

“And they wanted to convey that the group of wealthy democracies — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States — is a better friend to poorer countries than authoritarian foes such as China.”

UK PM said the G7 would validate the value of democracy and human rights to the rest of the world and help “the world’s poorest countries to develop themselves in a way that is clean and green and sustainable.”

“It’s not good enough for us to just rest on our laurels and talk about how important those values are,” he told journalists.

“And this isn’t about imposing our values on the rest of the world. What we as the G7 need to do is demonstrate the benefits of democracy and freedom and human rights to the rest of the world.”

US President Biden also wanted to encourage fellow democratic leaders to present a more united front to contend economically with Beijing and strongly call out China’s “nonmarket policies and human rights abuses.”

In the group’s communique published, the group said: “With regard to China, and competition in the global economy, we will continue to consult on collective approaches to challenging non-market policies and practices which undermine the fair and transparent operation of the global economy.”

The leaders also said they will promote their values by calling on China to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Xinjiang, where Beijing is accused of committing serious human rights abuses against the Uyghur minority, and in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong.

“The United States is back, and democracies of the world are standing together,” Biden said as he arrived in the U.K. on the first foreign trip of his 5-month-old presidency.

After the G7 summit, the president will have tea with the queen on Sunday, attend a NATO summit in Brussels on Monday and hold talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Geneva on Wednesday.

At the G7, Johnson described Biden as a “breath of fresh air.” French President Emmanuel Macron, after speaking one-to-one with Biden, said, “It’s great to have a U.S. president part of the club and very willing to cooperate.”

On climate change, the “Build Back Better for the World” plan promises to offer financing for infrastructure — “from railways in Africa to wind farms in Asia” — to help speed up the global shift to renewable energy. The plan is a response to China’s “belt and road” initiative, which has increased Beijing’s worldwide influence.

All G7 countries have pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, but many environmentalists say that will be too little, too late.

The last G7 summit was in France in 2019, with last year’s event in the United States scuttled by the pandemic.