China remains high on the agenda at the G7 summit

Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven wealthy nations have released a strongly worded communique following their first face-to-face talks in two years.

China’s poor human rights record and its economic bullying were at the top of the agenda for the meeting in London.

In a 12,400 word communique, issued following the meeting, the group committed to working collectively to “foster global economic resilience in the face of” what it declares “arbitrary, coercive economic policies and practices.” 

The collective pushback comes after China targeted specific Australian industries, amid a major breakdown in ties between Canberra and Beijing.

G7 nations have also condemned China’s human rights record. The foreign ministers say they are “deeply concerned” by “the targeting of Uyghurs, members of other ethnic and religious minority groups, and the existence of a large-scale network of ‘political re-education camps, and reports of forced labor systems and forced sterilisation.”

Russia has also been criticised by the Group of Seven rich democracies for trying to undermine democracies.

Despite the foreign ministers strongly condemning China and Russia, the group won’t be taking any concrete action. It will be up to individual countries to decide what action – if any – they would like to take.