Yahoo Finance G7 vs China: France, UK back ScoMo amid trade spat
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France and the UK’s leaders have thrown their support behind Prime Minister Scott Morrison as Canberra attempts to navigate a relationship with Beijing that has hit its iciest point in history.
At the G7 forum earlier this week, France president Emannuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared they “stood by” Australia in the face of “intimidation” and “coercive measures”.
While Macron did not name China specifically, he declared that France “firmly reject[s] any coercive economic measures taken against Australia in flagrant violation of international law”.
"You are at the forefront of the tensions that exist in the region, of the threats, and sometimes of the intimidation, and I want to reiterate here how much we stand by your side," Macron said to Morrison in Paris.
“I would like to reiterate how committed France remains to defending the balance in the Indo-Pacific region and how much we consider the partnership we have with Australia is essential in the Indo-Pacific strategy.”
WATCH BELOW: The US stands with Australia over Beijing's "coercive behaviour"
Australia-China relations, which were once a prosperous economic partnership, have become frosty ever since Australia rejected Huawei’s bid to roll out 5G in Australia, and worsened when Australia called for an independent inquiry into the origins of COVID-19.
Beijing retaliated by placing trade sanctions on more than $20 billion worth of Australian exports, and "indefinitely" cancelling high-level economic talks.
Macron’s comments echo similar sentiments from Johnson, who at a press conference at 10 Downing Street described China’s behaviour as “difficult”.
“People are worried about … some of the ways China behaves in its region, and how it actually behaves particularly towards Australia,” Johnson said.
“We stand shoulder to shoulder with our friends.”
However, Johnson also struck a cautious tone, warning that the “way forward” was not “a new Cold War with China”.
“This is a difficult relationship where it is vital to engage with China in as positive a way as we can. But where there are difficulties, which there evidently are, it's vital that allies - UK, Australia - work together,” he said.
While Australia is not part of the Group of 7, it was invited to attend the meeting as a guest country. China was not invited to be part of the discussions.
In the Group’s communique, the G7 nations were united in their criticism of China, taking aim at the Asian superpower over every single sore spot including Taiwan, human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and called for a full investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
"We will promote our values, including by calling on China to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, especially in relation to Xinjiang and those rights, freedoms and high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration," the G7 communique stated.
The critical document sparked backlash from a spokesperson from the Chinese embassy in London, who said “the days when global decisions were dictated by a small group of countries are long gone”.
“We always believe that countries, big or small, strong or weak, poor or rich, are equals, and that world affairs should be handled through consultation by all countries.”
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