G7 must stop meddling in other nations’ affairs – including China’s – and accept it is no longer relevant

As the G7’s slice of the world economy has shrunk, so has its relevance. Today’s G7 has neither the ability nor the will to solve any global political, economic or security problem, and its leaders must adjust to the reality that the group’s influence is waning.

The G7’s charge of “economic coercion” against China is without merit. The US – which resorts to unilateral sanctions, long-arm jurisdiction, decoupling, breakage of supply and industrial chains, and politicising and weaponising economic and trade ties – is in fact the origin and main facilitator of “economic coercion”.

From 2000 to 2021, US government sanctions against foreign entities rose by 933 per cent. By 2021, the US had imposed sanctions on dozens of countries around the world, affecting a large portion of the world’s population.

The US is also pursuing decoupling from China in the guise of “de-risking”. To maintain its interests, Washington has abused its power, to crack down on Chinese enterprises in key industries at the expense of many multinational companies. Other G7 members should urge the US to review its misdeeds, instead of doing Washington’s bidding as accomplices of “economic coercion”.

The G7’s interference in China’s internal affairs flies in the face of the facts. The G7 communique also made mention of Taiwan and Hong Kong, laying bare its intention to curb China’s rise.

The historical particulars of the Taiwan question are clear. The two sides across the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China. The one-China principle is a basic norm for international relations and also the political basis for China and other countries to establish and develop diplomatic relations. However, the G7 has been trying to hollow out the one-China principle and conspire with forces supporting Taiwan independence, posing a serious risk to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.