The Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom lodged a strong protest on Monday after the G7 statement mentioning Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Taiwan and called on the member states to stop interfering in China's internal affairs. The diplomats stressed the G7 nations' focus on Xinjiang is purely political manipulation, noting that China must not be slandered and its interests must not be violated.
At the same time, the embassy referred to the G7's mention of the origins of the coronavirus, stressing that any investigation into the matter should be carried out by an international group of scientists and should not be politicised.
The recent summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, saw the leaders of the G7 countries (which includes the US, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Japan) convening for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Relations with China were one of the main issues on the agenda, according to various reports.
Beijing also faced Washington's decision to launch a new investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, as the US admin wanted to revisit the theory suggesting that the pandemic had been caused by a leak from China's Wuhan Institute for Virology.
China has repeatedly criticised accusations of human rights abuse against Uyghur Muslims, stating that so-called re-education camps in Xinjiang are training centres, established to combat regional extremism. Beijing also stressed that its policy on Taiwan stipulates a peaceful reunification.