Speaking after the G7 summit, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that China posed a major challenge to global security and prosperity. However, he stressed that developed countries should not completely disengage with China.
Speaking at a press briefing after the G7 summit in Hiroshima, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asserted that China is the most important challenge to global security and prosperity in the modern era. Sunak expressed concern over China’s growing authoritarianism domestically and assertiveness on the international stage.
Sunak said, “China is the greatest challenge of our time to global security and prosperity. They are increasingly authoritarian at home and assertive abroad.”
Sunak said Britain and the other G7 countries were determined to adopt a unified approach to deal with the challenges posed by China. He emphasized that his goal was to reduce risk, not break the relationship outright. Sunak affirmed that the G7 cooperation is taking steps to counter China’s use of economic coercion to interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign states.
Most recently, Sunak’s successor, former British Prime Minister Liz Truss, made a notable visit to Taiwan, making her the most prominent British politician since Margaret Thatcher in the 1990s. During his visit, Truss stressed that the West should not engage in appeasement or conformity with China.
Tensions have risen over China’s growing claims to Taiwan, an autonomous island that China claims as its territory. Notably, China has never ruled out the possibility of using force to control Taiwan.
Truss represents a more aggressive faction within Sunak’s Conservative Party, which differs in its approach to China. Truss takes an opposite stance, while Sunak seeks to engage in areas such as trade and climate change while managing national security issues.
Sunak also announced that Britain would start training Ukrainian pilots this summer to support the Ukrainian air force in the conflict with Russia.
Along with Volodymyr Zelensky, Sunak said that the top priority of the Ukrainian president is to achieve peace. But he insisted that any peace terms must be consistent with Ukraine’s principles.
During the three-day summit, the G7 demonstrated its readiness to provide continued support to Ukraine in its dealings with Russia.