The Wall Street Journal: G-7 leaders rally to Biden’s call to challenge China, pledge 1 billion coronavirus vaccine doses to poorer nations

CARBIS BAY, England — Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies on Sunday called on China to respect human rights as President Biden built momentum for his efforts to create an international coalition to counter Chinese influence.

U.S. officials depicted the decision to name China in the joint statement following the summit as a victory for American diplomacy. But it isn’t immediately clear what, if any, practical difference the statement will make. It fell short of an outright condemnation of Beijing and the U.S. didn’t succeed in naming China in a statement condemning forced labor practices.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that he was eager to continue to engage with China on issues such as climate change. “That is unchanged,” he said, adding that nations needed to treat China with respect.

Nonetheless, Biden’s first international meeting as president—the first in-person G-7 summit in almost two years—was marked by a cooperative approach often absent in those attended by his predecessor, Donald Trump.

“The only way we’re going to meet the global threats is by working together with our partners and our allies,” Biden said at a Sunday press conference following the end of the summit. “America is back at the table,” he said.

An expanded version of this report appears at WSJ.com.

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June 14, 2021 at 04:29AM
Max Colchester, Andrew Restuccia
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