China has slammed a statement issued by the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized countries at the end of their summit in Italy as “full of arrogance, prejudice and lies.”
The G7 leaders convened in Italy from June 13th to the 15th, with souring trade relations with China as well as tensions over Ukraine and the South China Sea on top of their agenda.
The G7 states consist of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and Japan.
Their end-of-summit statement claimed that Beijing was sending “dual-use materials, including weapons components and equipment” to Russia, which they say were helping Moscow in its war with Kiev. The statement also criticized what is called China’s “militarization, and coercive and intimidation activities” in the South China Sea.
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, which overlaps with the waters of Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan, and the Philippines.
In response, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said the statement had “slandered and attacked China.” It had “rehashed cliches that have no factual basis, no legal basis, and no moral justification, and are full of arrogance, prejudice and lies,” he said at a news briefing on Monday.
The G7 statement came while China has repeatedly denied supplying Russia with weapons and munitions.
Beijing, in return, has blamed Washington for igniting the Ukraine conflict via NATO’s eastern expansion.
In February 2022, Russia launched what it called a special military operation in Ukraine partly to prevent NATO’s eastward expansion after warning that the military alliance was following an “aggressive line” against Moscow.
The Western countries have been fueling the flames of the war with their unchecked delivery of weapons to Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly warned that such a flow of weapons to Kiev will only prolong the conflict.
