BEIJING — China on Monday accused the G7 of "political
manipulation" after it criticized Beijing over its human rights record in
Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
اضافة اعلان
In a communique after a three-day summit in England, G7 leaders slammed
China over abuses against minorities in the Xinjiang region and pro-democracy
activists in Hong Kong, while US President Joe Biden called for Beijing to
"start acting more responsibly in terms of international norms on human
rights."
The Chinese embassy in the United Kingdom responded angrily on Monday, and
accused the G7 of "interfering".
"The Group of Seven (G-7) takes advantage of Xinjiang-related issues to
engage in political manipulation and interfere in China's internal affairs,
which we firmly oppose," an embassy spokesman said in a statement.
The statement accused the
G7 of "lies, rumors, and baseless
accusations".
Human rights groups say China has rounded up an estimated 1 million Uyghurs
and other minorities in Xinjiang into internment camps, which Beijing says is
to eradicate Islamic extremism.
"We will promote our values, including by calling on China to respect
human rights and fundamental freedoms" the G7 communique read.
At their first physical summit in nearly two years, leaders of the seven
nations announced a number of pledges on COVID-19 vaccinations, climate change,
rights, and trade.
They also called for a new investigation in China into the origins of
COVID-19 — prompting a response from the Chinese embassy that the work needs to
be done in a "scientific, objective, and fair manner", without
agreeing to a new probe.
"The current epidemic is still raging around the world, and the
traceability work should be carried out by global scientists and should not be
politicized," the embassy said.
The coronavirus first emerged in central China in late 2019, and the World
Health Organization sent a team of international experts in January to probe
its origins.
But their long-delayed report published in March drew no firm conclusions,
and the investigation has since faced criticism for lacking transparency and
access.
The G7 also announced a new infrastructure fund which President Biden said
would be "much more equitable" than China's massive Belt and Road
Initiative.
The Chinese embassy statement complained in response that the
"accusations against China on economic and trade issues in the communique
are inconsistent with the facts and are unreasonable."
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