China’s Global Times yesterday called the G7 an “anti-China workshop,” a day after Beijing summoned Japan’s envoy and berated Britain in a fiery response to statements issued at the group’s summit in Hiroshima.
G7 declarations issued on Saturday singled out China on issues including Taiwan, nuclear arms, economic coercion and human rights abuses, underscoring the wide-ranging tensions between Beijing and the group that includes the US.
“The US is pushing hard to weave an anti-China net in the Western world,” the Global Times said in an editorial titled “G7 has descended into an anti-China workshop.”
“This is not just a matter of brutal interference in China’s internal affairs and smearing China, but also an undisguised urge for confrontation between the camps,” it said.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it firmly opposed the statement by the G7 — which also includes Japan, Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Italy — and late on Sunday said that it had summoned the Japanese ambassador to China in a pointed protest to the summit host.
Russia, a close ally of China that was also called out in the G7 statement over its invasion of Ukraine, said the summit was an “incubator” for anti-Russian and anti-Chinese hysteria.
Separately, China’s embassy in Britain urged London to stop slandering China, after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Beijing represents the world’s greatest challenge to security and prosperity.
The main G7 leaders’ communique mentioned China 20 times, up from 14 mentions last year.
“China’s reaction this time is quite intense,” City University of Hong Kong law professor Wang Jiangyu (王江雨) said. “The G7 mentioned many concerns [over China] in an unprecedented way. China views these issues as its core interests that are entirely its internal affairs which are not for the G7 to wag their tongues about.”
As well as taking issue with G7 comments on Taiwan, Beijing also accused the US and its allies of double standards over comments about a nuclear buildup and the use of economic leverage.
Despite Beijing’s reaction, US President Joe Biden said he expected a thaw in frosty relations with China “very shortly.”
However, analysts see no sign of any immediate easing of tensions, especially given Beijing’s rapid and sharp rebuttal.
“Beijing’s reaction [especially the early timing of its release] underlines that tensions in the region are already quite high and likely to increase further,” said Moritz Rudolf, fellow at Yale University’s Paul Tsai China Center.
China’s decision to summon Japan’s ambassador underlined the intensity of its anger, analysts said.
Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Sun Weidong (孫衛東) summoned the ambassador to register protests over “hype around China-related issues,” the ministry said in a statement.
Sun said Japan collaborated with the other members at the G7 summit “to smear and attack China, grossly interfering in China’s internal affairs, violating the basic principles of international law and the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan,” referring to the China-Japan Joint Statement of 1972.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old