Rishi Sunak: «Authoritarian China is the biggest problem of our time»

Rishi Sunak called China «increasingly authoritarian at home and assertive abroad.» Photo: Stéphane Rousseau/PA

Rishi Sunak called China «the biggest challenge of our century» while praising the G7's unity on global security.

The PM said Beijing is «increasingly authoritarian at home and assertive abroad.”

And he warned that China is the only country with the power and the will to change the world order.

His comments came at the end of the G7 summit in Hiroshima.

And they called on Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, to intervene to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw from Ukraine.

p>China can 'change the world order'

Mr. Sunak said, «The G7 has demonstrated unity and determination towards China.

«China represents the biggest challenge of our century to global security and prosperity . They are becoming increasingly authoritarian at home and assertive abroad.

«And as the G7 has shown, the UK's response is entirely in line with our allies.»

“It's all about risk reduction, not decoupling. Together with the G7, we are taking steps to prevent China from using economic coercion to interfere in the sovereign affairs of others.” said: «The G7 is full of determination and unity, above all simply recognizing the systemic challenge that China poses to the world order — it is the only country with both the means and the intention to change the world order.»

“What we did in the statement was make it clear that we will work together, as the G7 and other countries, to make sure we can mitigate the risks to ourselves and the vulnerabilities in our supply chains that we saw in China; take the steps necessary to protect against hostile investments; and do it in a way that doesn't hurt each other.

«We also had talk about keeping important technology that is relevant to our security from leaking to China.»

“Taken together, I think this represents a pretty substantial set of policies backed by the determination and commitment from the G7. This sends a strong signal to China that we believe in an international rules-based system and we will work very hard together to protect it together.

He added that the G7 countries “are all very clear about the risk of that China is posing.»

This comes after Mr Sunak refrained from calling China a «threat» when the UK's Comprehensive Review of Foreign and Defense Policy was updated in March. Instead, Beijing was described as «an era-defining and system call.»

Lise Truss, Mr. Sunak's predecessor, intended to label the nation as a threat in the document. During a visit to Taiwan last week, she pressured the prime minister to do so.

On Sunday, US President Joe Biden said the G7 agreed on a unified approach to China to diversify supplies. chains to reduce dependence on one country.

He hinted that he might speak to the President of China soon.

"We are not looking to separate from China. We are committed to reducing risk and diversifying our relationship with China.” Mr. Biden said at a press conference following a three-day summit with G7 leaders.

He said the G7 nations have come together more than ever in «jointly resisting economic coercion and countering harmful practices that harm our workers» 34.

However, Mr. Biden said he expects chilly relations with China to thaw "very soon" after the US shot down a Chinese balloon flying over secret military installations earlier on this site. We should have an open hotline" said the President of the United States.

He said he made arrangements with Mr. Xi during the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia last year to keep communications open, but that all changed after «that stupid balloon that carried two boxcars, cost spy equipment".