Zelenskyy to attend G-7 summit in Japan; Russia hit with new sanctions
NBCDec 25, 2022
The Facts
Chinese deputy foreign minister Sun Weidong has summoned Japan's ambassador Hideo Tarumi to register an official protest over alleged "hype around China-related issues" at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima.
This comes as the G7 leaders on Saturday issued a joint communique calling for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and expressed concerns about rising maritime tensions around China and the PRC's human rights situation.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
Given that the so-called rich countries' club has long been facing an existential crisis as its economic relevance consistently wanes, old industrialized Western nations have adopted anti-China rhetoric to try and attract some attention to their summits. Ironically, the only way for the G7 to have its reputation restored is by cooperating with Beijing rather than slinging mud.
Pro-establishment narrative
Beijing cannot stand the G7 because the group of major democracies — which Xi Jinping will never be able to join — frustrates its plans to become the world's leader. Putting aside that the G7 economies more than double China, it turns out that such countries are among Beijing's best customers and China is nearly completely dependent on imports from them in some areas.