China sharply rejects criticism by G7 FMs

Beijing (IANS) China on Thursday sharply rejected criticism by the G7 Foreign Ministers as "groundless accusations".

"The G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting made groundless accusations against China, grossly interfered in China's internal affairs," dpa news agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin as saying to reporters here.

"Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang ... are all China's internal affairs."

The group of economically powerful democracies had issued a statement on Wednesday at the conclusion of their Foreign Ministers' meeting in London criticizing the persecution of the Uighur Muslim minority in Xinjiang and Beijing's tough stance on Hong Kong.

Wang said the G7 group should pay more attention to the recovery of the global economy and help developing countries instead of fomenting conflict in the international community.

The spokesman also took exception to comments from within the group, including from German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, that the G7 group should counter China's vaccine diplomacy.

Wang pointed out that some G7 countries have suffered the most severely from the pandemic, even though they have widely developed medical technology.

The G7 should focus on international cooperation in the fight against the pandemic and equitable distribution of vaccines, rather than hoarding vaccines and making "vague and irrelevant remarks" about other countries' behaviour, the spokesman said.

"We urge relevant countries to face up to their own domestic problems, to correct their selfish behaviours in anti-epidemic efforts and stop over-stretching the concept of national security," Wang said.