COVID-19 scare at G7 summit06/05/2021|3min
Foreign ministers from the world’s leading economies, including Marise Payne, have gathered in London this week for in person talks for the first time in two years.
COVID has managed to make its mark on the final day as members of the Indian delegate were forced to isolate after two tested positive for the virus.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was forced to defend the face to face meeting and said the safety measures put in place negated “any conceivable risk” of COVID-19.
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G7 statement shows US ambition shortfall in dominating China ties: experts
Wang Qi Published: May 06, 2021 11:13 PM
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab (R) and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attend a press conference ahead of the meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) foreign and development ministers in London, Britain, on May 3, 2021. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Monday met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss efforts to build back better from COVID-19 and a possible free trade agreement between the two countries. (Simon Dawsond/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)
Following the China threat hype in the G7 meeting, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday at a virtual United Nations Security Council meeting.
The Group of Seven scolded both China and Russia on Wednesday, casting the Kremlin as malicious and Beijing as a bully, but beyond words there were few concrete steps aside from expressing support for Taiwan and Ukraine. Founded in 1975 as a forum for the West’s richest nations to discuss crises such as the OPEC oil embargo, the G7 this week addressed what it perceives as the biggest current threats: China, Russia and the coronavirus pandemic.
G7 foreign ministers, in a 12,400-word communique, said Russia was trying to undermine democracies and threatening Ukraine while China was guilty of human rights abuses and of using its economic clout to bully others.
China rejects G-7 criticism on human rights
Officials from the U.S., Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada said they were deeply concerned about Beijing’s treatment of Uyghur and other minorities.
Credit: AP
Britain s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, left, poses for a photo with his German counterpart Heiko Maas ahead of bi-lateral talks during the G7 foreign ministers meeting in London, Wednesday, May 5, 2021. Diplomats from the group of wealthy nations are meeting in London for their first face-to-face gathering in two years. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool) Author: Associated Press Updated: 7:09 AM EDT May 6, 2021
BEIJING, China China’s government on Thursday rejected criticism of its human rights and economic record by foreign ministers of the Group of Seven major economies and accused them of meddling in its affairs.