China took offense – quickly and willingly. Beijing has expressed its “deep dissatisfaction” with Japan, while Britain has been accused of “slandering and belittling China”. The Far Eastern superpowers reacted to even the slightest poke and the subtlest criticism, were extremely sensitive and always ready to pounce. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak resented China’s leadership for telling the G7 summit that China posed the biggest challenge to world security and prosperity Overall, the G7 statement on China looked a bit toothless, but cited risks of dependence on China and recommended a diversified set of alarm bells ringing Beijing.

distrust of China

Beijing’s reaction to the G7’s criticism of the human rights situation, especially in Tibet and Xinjiang, was to be expected: it was interference in the internal affairs of the People’s Republic; the days when Western countries dictated international affairs are over, according to a message from Beijing. There is no doubt: today the People’s Republic of China wants to determine international affairs: not only in the East and South China Seas, but globally; not only economically but also politically. West realized this very late, but realized it anyway. Europe and the US have seen through communist China as a systemic competitor and economic challenger; India and Japan have long viewed their giant neighbors with well-founded suspicion.

Human rights have never been and have never been an internal matter of any state. And the harm China poses to regional peace and the sovereignty of China’s trading partners around the world has long been widely documented. The West needs a clear and consistent defense strategy for this. And good diplomats who can dress them in very polite words.