China accuses Japan of smear campaign

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong summoned Japanese Ambassador Hideo Tarumi on Sunday in response to a wide array of accusations made against Beijing at the G7 summit in Hiroshima.

Japan, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Group of Seven, has sided with Western countries in “smearing and attacking” China, as well as meddling in its domestic affairs, Sun said, as quoted by CGTN.

“The Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied, and resolutely opposes it,” the diplomat said, urging G7 members to “stop creating and stoking bloc confrontation.”

In a joint communique published on Saturday, the G7 accused China of “economic coercion,” human rights abuses, and inciting tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

The Japanese Embassy in China released a statement on Sunday, saying that Tarumi told Sun that the concerns raised by the G7 were “justified” and will be voiced again “if China does not change its behavior.” 

Beijing previously accused the Group of Seven of seeking to impose an “America-first” model on the world, and warned that it would fail.

The G7 consists of the US, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.