By David Brunnstrom, Tom Daly and Michael Martina WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the need for cooperation and transparency over the origins of COVID-19 in a call with Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi on Friday and raised other contentious topics, including China s treatment of Uyghur Muslims, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Yang, China s top diplomat, expressed to Blinken Beijing s serious concern that some people in the United States were spreading the absurd story about the coronavirus escaping from a Wuhan laboratory, Chinese state media said. Yang, head of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of China s ruling Communist Party, also told Blinken that Washington should handle Taiwan-related issues carefully and appropriately, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The call came ahead of a G7 summit in Britain attended by U.S. President Joe Biden that is expected to be dominated by Washington-led efforts to counter China s growing influence. The world s
Europe Prepares Warm Welcome for Biden at G-7, but Skepticism Remains
10 Jun 2021, 08:05 GMT+10
LONDON - Leaders of the G-7 group of industrialized nations meet this weekend in Britain, with an agenda topped by the global recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, taxation, and the challenges posed by Russia and China.
The three-day summit beginning Friday will be held at Carbis Bay, a popular tourist resort in Cornwall on Britain s southwestern peninsula. British warships are patrolling the coastline and more than 6,500 police officers have been deployed as Britain prepares to host the leaders of the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada.
CHINA TASK FORCE WRAPS: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s China task force, which was charged with finding ways to focus the Defense Department more effectively on countering China, has wrapped up its work and provided recommendations that are mostly classified.