Korea faces mounting diplomatic challenge
The heads of state of the Group of Seven (G7) have agreed to set up a new global partnership to counter China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative. During a summit in Cornwall, England, Saturday, they decided to launch a "Build Back Better World (B3W)" project to fund infrastructure programs and support growth in developing countries.
The agreement is incomplete with details having yet to be discussed; yet, it is unprecedented for the world's richest economies to discuss how to contain China from expanding its influence in global markets. The leaders wrapped up the three-day summit Sunday, adopting a joint statement which also included provisions on how to tackle climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the G7 leaders gathered around the need to "counter and compete" with China on diverse challenges such as protecting democracy and technology competition. "It was a significant move forward from where the G7 has ever been before and reflects a growing convergence that wasn't there a few years ago," Sullivan told reporters.
China furiously commented on the summit by saying that days were over "when a small group of countries decided the fate of the world." Sullivan hit back by saying, "That is sad. If their claim is that all of the other world's largest economies count as small countries, then they have a massive problem of perspective."
The B3W is expected to be a cooperative body to counter China's Belt and Road Initiative. Since 2013 China has been investing in the construction of railroads, ports and highways in some 100 countries mainly in Asia, Africa and parts of Europe. The White House said the B3W was a partnership led by major democracies that would invest more than $40 trillion for the development of infrastructure in developing economies.
All told, the rivalry between the U.S., backed by Western economies, and China will further intensify in the future. U.S. President Joe Biden strongly criticized China for its human rights violations including forced labor in Xinjiang. He asked the G7 leaders to join him and reflect the criticism in the joint statement. But Biden's demand failed to go through due to different stances on the matter held by the other countries. This shows the U.S.'s attempt to build an anti-China alliance is still wanting.
Yet it is certain that the rich Western nations share the notion that China has emerged as a serious threat to them. The G7 summit can be regarded as a starting point for a new global order in the making. What is noteworthy is that President Moon Jae-in was invited to the "G7+4" summit along with the leaders from Australia, India and South Africa.
This shows South Korea's enhanced prestige in the international community and also hints at the growing U.S. pressure on Seoul to join its global coalition against China. This could pose a serious challenge to Seoul which relies heavily on Beijing for economic growth. It is time for the government to cope wisely with a possible situation in which it may be forced to choose sides.
The heads of state of the Group of Seven (G7) have agreed to set up a new global partnership to counter China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative. During a summit in Cornwall, England, Saturday, they decided to launch a "Build Back Better World (B3W)" project to fund infrastructure programs and support growth in developing countries.
The agreement is incomplete with details having yet to be discussed; yet, it is unprecedented for the world's richest economies to discuss how to contain China from expanding its influence in global markets. The leaders wrapped up the three-day summit Sunday, adopting a joint statement which also included provisions on how to tackle climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the G7 leaders gathered around the need to "counter and compete" with China on diverse challenges such as protecting democracy and technology competition. "It was a significant move forward from where the G7 has ever been before and reflects a growing convergence that wasn't there a few years ago," Sullivan told reporters.
China furiously commented on the summit by saying that days were over "when a small group of countries decided the fate of the world." Sullivan hit back by saying, "That is sad. If their claim is that all of the other world's largest economies count as small countries, then they have a massive problem of perspective."
The B3W is expected to be a cooperative body to counter China's Belt and Road Initiative. Since 2013 China has been investing in the construction of railroads, ports and highways in some 100 countries mainly in Asia, Africa and parts of Europe. The White House said the B3W was a partnership led by major democracies that would invest more than $40 trillion for the development of infrastructure in developing economies.
All told, the rivalry between the U.S., backed by Western economies, and China will further intensify in the future. U.S. President Joe Biden strongly criticized China for its human rights violations including forced labor in Xinjiang. He asked the G7 leaders to join him and reflect the criticism in the joint statement. But Biden's demand failed to go through due to different stances on the matter held by the other countries. This shows the U.S.'s attempt to build an anti-China alliance is still wanting.
Yet it is certain that the rich Western nations share the notion that China has emerged as a serious threat to them. The G7 summit can be regarded as a starting point for a new global order in the making. What is noteworthy is that President Moon Jae-in was invited to the "G7+4" summit along with the leaders from Australia, India and South Africa.
This shows South Korea's enhanced prestige in the international community and also hints at the growing U.S. pressure on Seoul to join its global coalition against China. This could pose a serious challenge to Seoul which relies heavily on Beijing for economic growth. It is time for the government to cope wisely with a possible situation in which it may be forced to choose sides.
