US Secretary of State Blinken to attend G7 meetings in London
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with his diplomatic counterparts from the Group of Seven (G7) in London today.
The G7—comprised of the world’s preeminent economies, the US, UK, EU, Japan, France, Canada and Italy—will meet through May 5th to discuss areas of mutual concern including issues related to China, vaccine distribution, post-pandemic economic recovery and climate change. Additionally, representatives from the Republic of Korea, South Africa and Brunei—representing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations—will attend the summit as guests.
Blinken will use today’s meetings to build consensus among state attendees on pushing back against Beijing ahead of tomorrow’s official meeting on China. Expect the G7 to boycott Chinese cotton in a condemnation of Beijing’s usage of over one million ethnic Uighurs detained under the guise of counterterrorism, but effectively enslaved to produce cheap cotton.
Building consensus in condemning Beijing’s human rights atrocities will likely come with ease. The UK accused China of genocide in Xinjiang on April 22 and global brands like H&M have continued their boycott of Chinese cotton. Nevertheless, it is unlikely Chairman Xi Jinping will cease his genocide in the medium- to long-term, continuing his strong-man approach to Chinese governance.
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