China is opposed to interference by the Group of Seven (G7) countries in its domestic politics, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a news briefing on Monday, when asked by TASS for a comment on the G7’s joint statement, adopted at a meeting in Munster, Germany, on November 3-4.
"China's position on issues related to Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan is consistent and clear. This so-called joint statement by the G7 foreign ministers ignores China's serious position and objective facts, interferes in China's internal affairs, and maliciously slanders China. The PRC expresses strong dissatisfaction and strongly protests this," Zhao said. He urged the G7 to abandon Cold War mentality and adhere to a multilateral approach to international relations.
"We call on the G7 countries to abandon the Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice, stop interfering in other countries' domestic politics, repeating lies and provoking regional conflicts," Zhao said. He added that Beijing called on the G7 countries to create favorable conditions for global cooperation.
China has always been an example of adherence to the UN Charter and true multilateralism, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
In a joint statement, the G7 countries expressed their wish to cooperate with China "wherever possible," "in particular on global challenges like peace and security, global health, the climate and biodiversity crisis and the conservation of natural resources."
At the same time, they warned Beijing against what they described as "unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion." The G7 addressed China with a reminder of the need to uphold the principles of the UN Charter on peaceful settlement of disputes and to abstain from threats, coercion, intimidation, or the use of force.
