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G-7: China is a threat, not our partner

Beijing has been blamed for a series of serious hacking attacks on US and European critical infrastructure

Jun 17, 2024 19:07 499

G-7: China is a threat, not our partner  - 1

The West no longer views China as a potential partner, but as a geopolitical rival. This is how the New York Times summarizes the results of the G-7 summit that took place this week in Italy.

"In the final communiqué from the summit, there are 28 references to China, almost all of which describe Beijing as a malign power.

The contrast with China's performance just a few years ago is stark," notes the New York Times.

At previous summits, the largest Western economies have often spoken of cooperation with Beijing in the context of combating climate change, countering terrorism and nuclear proliferation.

Although China has never been invited to the G7 unlike Russia, which was kicked out of the club for its occupation of Crimea, Beijing has often been described as a "partner", specifically as a supplier of goods and a market for western goods.

Even after the outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine, the West looked to China as a force to deter the Kremlin from further escalation.

"This will not happen again. This year, China and Russia were often discussed in the same breath and in the same threatening terms, which is perhaps a natural result of the deepening partnership between them," the publication notes.

Now the communique from the G7 summit includes direct promises of sanctions against Chinese companies that support the Russian military machine.

According to the NYT, there is a growing belief in the administration of US President Joe Biden that Chinese ruler Xi Jinping has changed his attitude towards the war in Ukraine over the past year and now Beijing intends to increasingly support Russia.

The author of the publication notes that the West's growing hostility towards China is not only related to its role in supporting Moscow's invasive aspirations.

Beijing has been blamed for a series of serious hacking attacks on US and European critical infrastructure.

According to US officials, China's cyber activity is preparation for a possible war with Taiwan, during which Beijing would try to paralyze the United States by shutting down its critical infrastructure.