China accuses G7 of ‘creating division’ over trade criticism

China accused Group of Seven countries yesterday of irresponsibly sowing division after the forum condemned Beijing's trade practices in an end-of-summit statement.

G7 leaders had slammed China's "non-transparent and market-distorting" international trade tactics on
June 28, in a statement that also vowed to reduce "strategic dependencies" on the Asian giant.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian yesterday hit back at the criticism, saying the statement showed the allies were "keen to create divisions and confrontations without any sense of responsibility or morality."

The G7 should "advance globalization" rather than encourage division "at a critical time for the international community fighting the pandemic and striving for economic recovery," Zhao said at a regular press conference.

The United States has long cast a wary eye at China over its trade practices, which Washington believes are designed to accord an unfair advantage to Chinese companies over foreign firms.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Beijing's refusal to distance itself from Vladimir Putin has prompted other countries, including export giant Germany, to also reconsider their economic reliance on the Asian giant.