<Anchor> The
G7 Summit has ended. Participating countries directly discussed issues that China is sensitive to, including the crackdown on Hong Kong, and strengthened checks on China, led by the United States. US President Biden also pressured China to cooperate in the investigation into the origins of the coronavirus.
Correspondent Kim Jong-won from New York.
<Reporter> The
G7 leaders continued to put pressure on China until the last joint statement.
The summit statement called for respect and protection of the human rights of Xinjiang residents and freedoms in Hong Kong, and a peaceful resolution of issues with Taiwan.
The statement also said it strongly opposes any act of escalating tensions in the South China Sea.
These are all issues that China is sensitive to, and this is the first time the G7 summit has criticized China head-on in a closing statement.
[Joe Biden/President of the United States: The G7 has explicitly agreed to condemn human rights violations in Xinjiang and China. Obviously.] The
leaders also agreed to establish a new global infrastructure partnership called 'Rebuild the World for a Better' in response to China's 'One Belt, One Road' initiative.
In particular, President Biden pressured China to cooperate with the investigation into the origins of the coronavirus, urging China to act more responsibly in front of regulatory norms.
[Joe Biden/President of the United States: We have not yet been able to conclude if the coronavirus originated in Wuhan, as we did not have access to the Wuhan laboratory in China. The world should have access to the Wuhan lab.] The
United States is currently undertaking a review of the origins of the coronavirus, which President Biden ordered late last month to report the results of the review within 90 days.
President Biden, who led the hardline stance toward China, said he did not want a conflict with China, and said that he would cooperate if he would cooperate, but would respond to contradictory actions.