The Chinese response to the G7 summit

This year’s G7 summit in Hiroshima, held from May 19 to 21, 2023, welcomed the leaders of the G7 countries––the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France, and Japan, as well as UE officials, including the president of the European Commission and the president of the European Council 11. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also attended the summit. The G7 had once been the G8, before Russia was expelled in 2014 for its illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. The G7 members discussed the Russian invasion of Ukraine, among other topics. In a statement, the G7 countries took a firm stance on Russia and China.

They reiterated their unwavering support to Ukraine and pledged to impose further sanctions and measures to increase the costs to Russia. Notably, the G7 leaders pledged to ensure that exports of all items critical to Russia’s aggression including those used by Russia on the battlefield are restricted and take steps to prevent Russian efforts to avoid punitive measures. The leaders also made a commitment to further reduce ways for Russia to circumvent our financial measures including by preventing third-country branches of Russian banks from being used to avoid sanctions. They vowed to continue to work closely together to restrict trade in and use of diamonds mined, processed, or produced in Russia and reduce the revenues that Russia extracts from the export of energy and metals 12 .

The statement referred to China and welcomed a new coordination platform for counteracting economic coercion. The G7 members strongly opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the South China Sea. They also urged Russia to stop its ongoing aggression and completely withdraw its troops and military equipment from Ukraine as well as encouraged China to back a lasting peace based on territorial integrity in line with the UN Charter. The statement marked a strong criticism of Beijing as the G7 countries stated there is no change in the basic positions of the G7 members on Taiwan. The leaders of the world’s most industrialized nations said that the human rights situation in Tibet was a major concern to them. At the end of the summit, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described China as authoritarian, saying Beijing posed the biggest challenge of this age to global security and prosperity. The British official said the G7 and other countries should work together to make sure that they can de-risk themselves and the vulnerability of supply chains from China 13

11. European Parliament (2023), 2023 G7 Summit: Preparing for a new global order?. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/ RegData/etudes/BRIE/2023/747920/EPRS_BRI(2023)747920_EN.pdf. DOA: June 12, 2023.

12. European Council (2023), G7 summit, Hiroshima, Japan, 19-21 May 2023. https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/international-summit/2023/05/19-21. DOA: June 12, 2023.

13. Sorgi, G. (2023, May 21), Sunak ranks China as a top challenge to global security Politico. https://www.politico.eu/ article/britain-prime-minister-rishi-sunak-ranks-china-top-threat-global-security-g7-summit/. DOA: June 12, 2023.

This triggered a critical response from the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, who accused the G7 countries of interfering in China’s internal affairs. Beijing summoned Japan’s ambassador after the summit and warned the UK against slander as it condemned China-related criticism at the Hiroshima meeting. The Chinese foreign ministry accused the G7 countries of eroding stability in the region and blocking the development of other states 14

14. Lee L., Sugiyama S. (2023, May 22), Beijing rebukes Japan, Britain over ‘anti-China’ G7 summit. Reuters. https:// www.reuters.com/world/china/china-summons-japanese-ambassador-over-actions-g7-2023-05-22/. DOA: June 12, 2023.

Conclusions:

China considers the war in Ukraine an opportunity to undermine the reputation of the United States and the European Union worldwide and speed up shifts in the global order, where Beijing might serve a vital role. Beijing took its most important decision to bolster strategic ties with Russia in order to deal a blow to Western nations. Beijing shouldered its souring diplomatic and economic relations with Western nations, seeking to compromise the United States and the European Union worldwide. China seeks to nurture cooperation with Russia as Moscow’s trade dependencies are on the rise. Total trade between China and Russia hit a new record high in 2022, up 30 percent. China became, by far and away, the most important trading partner of Moscow. Beijing is in need of cheap energy while, as Western countries restricted technology supply, Russia’s semiconductor imports from China skyrocketed.

References

1. European Parliament ( 2023), 2023 G7 Summit: Preparing for a new global order?. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/ RegData/etudes/BRIE/2023/747920/EPRS_ BRI(2023)747920_EN.pdf. DOA: June 12, 2023.

2. Bogusz, M., Rodkiewicz, W. (2023, March 22), Gry między sojusznikami. Wizyta Xi Jinpinga w Moskwie. OSW. https://www.osw.waw.pl/ pl/publikacje/komentarze-osw/2023-03-24/ gry-miedzy-sojusznikami-wizyta-xi-jinpingaw-moskwie. DOA: June 12, 2023.

China has learned lessons from Russia’s war against Ukraine that could set the stage for a crisis over Taiwan. Any conflict over Taiwan could consolidate Western nations to impose sanctions on China, which is why Beijing has postponed its military moves on the island. A drawback was also a blow dealt to Beijing’s economic ties with the EU and Ukraine as these two consider China a Russian ally.

The Chinese attempts to help resolve the Ukraine war via a peace plan for negotiations is just a propaganda strategy that in fact offers no constructive solution to cease the Russian invasion. Beijing’s proposals are not aimed at stopping hostilities, and Beijing does not care about brokering a peace deal. The authorities in Beijing believe it is crucial to divert attention from the Sino-Russian rapprochement and to target all countries of the global south with a propaganda narrative blaming the EU and NATO for the Ukraine war while nurturing the image of China as a peace broker keen on constructive solutions.

3. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China (2023, February 24), China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis. https://www. fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zxxx_662805/202302/ t20230224_11030713.html. DOA: June 12, 2023.

4. European Council ( 2023), G7 summit, Hiroshima, Japan, 19-21 May 2023. https:// www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/international-summit/2023/05/19-21/. DOA: June 12, 2023.

5. Lee, L., Sugiyama, S. (2023, May 22), Beijing rebukes Japan, Britain over ‘anti-China’ G7 summit. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/ world/china/china-summons-japanese-ambassador-over-actions-g7-2023-05-22/. DOA: June 12, 2023.

6. Przychodniak, M. (2023, March 31), Polityka Chin wobec rosyjskiej inwazji na Ukrainę. Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM). https://www.pism.pl/publikacje/ polityka-chin-wobec-rosyjskiej-agresji-naukraine. DOA: June 12, 2023.

7. University of Southern California (2022, February 4), Russia-China Joint Statement On International Relations. https://china.usc.edu/ russia-china-joint-statement-internationalrelations-february-4-2022. DOA: June 12, 2023.

8. Sorgi, G. (2023, May 21), Sunak ranks China as top challenge to global security. Politico. https://www.politico.eu/article/britain-prime-minister-rishi-sunak-ranks-china-topthreat-global-security-g7-summit/. DOA: June 12, 2023.

9. G-20 summit. Kuluarowe rozmowy szefów dyplomacji Chin i Rosji (2023, March 2). PAP. https://www.pap.pl/aktualnosci/news,1543939,szczyt-g20-kuluarowe-rozmowy-szefowdyplomacji-chin-i-rosji.html. DOA: June 12, 2023.

10. United Nations (2022, April 7), UN General

Autor: Mikołaj Rogalewicz

Assembly votes to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council. https://news.un.org/ en/story/2022/04/1115782. DOA: June 12, 2023.

11. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China (2022, March 30). Wang Yi Holds Talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/ zxxx_662805/202203/t20220331_10658029. html. DOA: June 12, 2023.

12. Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Poland (2022, February 27), Wang Yi presents China’s five-point position on Ukraine. http:// pl.china-embassy.gov.cn/pol/zglc/202202/ t20220227_10645995.htm. DOA: June 12, 2023.

13. Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Poland (2023, March 1), The contribution of China’s power to the sustainable and peaceful development of the world. http:// pl.china-embassy.gov.cn/pol/sghd_1/202303/ t20230301_11033126.htm. DOA: June 12, 2023.

14. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China (2022, April 21), Xi Jinping Delivers a Keynote Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022. https://www. fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zxxx_662805/202204/ t20220421_10671083.html. DOA: June 12, 2023.

Senior analyst at the Demagog Association, a fact-checking organization. Author of numerous articles and analyses devoted to international relations, fact-checking, and disinformation. Participant of Kremlin Watchers Movement project, in which he deals with Russian disinformation. At various conferences, he presented papers on disinformation, cyberterrorism, Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and efforts to solve it, as well as actions of the EU aimed at combating terrorism. He is a mentor of the Akademia Fact-Checkingu.