Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven, a grouping of the seven richest and most industrialized economies, expressed concern this weekend about China’s economic policies and a possible Russian initiative on Ukraine at a meeting this weekend in Liverpool, England. The group seeks unity against potential “aggressors” and advocates less strategic dependency and increased security against authoritarian governments.
The G7, a group made up of Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, expressed support for Ukraine and indicated a united front against a possible Russian attack. The movement of Russian forces to the border between the two countries has increased speculation of a possible invasion. Although Russia has denied planning any attack, there is growing international concern about the presence of an overt territory.
Countries expressed support for US President Joe Biden for warning the country about economic sanctions, but there was no consensus to apply the sanctions to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which plans to double gas supplies to Germany, which is committed to energy transmission. . The pipeline is controversial, and critics say it increases Europe’s energy dependence on Russia.
In addition to Russia which dominated the discussion at the meeting, China was mentioned several times in the conversation. China’s rapid growth and increasing global dependence on states at the expense of Asia have alarmed world leaders. 40 years ago, the Chinese economy was smaller than that of many European countries, such as Italy, and today it is the second largest in the world. Representatives of the G7 countries expressed concern about China’s coercive economic policies, and the group seeks to work in a coordinated manner to contain disinformation in the country, with the aim of bringing peace to the Taiwan Strait and supporting Lithuania.
Meanwhile, the two countries are gathering together in a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, in retaliation for China’s actions on human rights issues with their own people. The boycott started with the United States, and now it has the support of Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.
*With information from Reuters.
