China warned the Group of Seven leaders, i.e. the G7, on Sunday that the days of “small” bands of nations deciding the destiny of the world were long gone, slamming the world’s wealthiest democracies as they attempted to work in tandem to challenge Beijing’s strength.

According to what a representative at the Chinese embassy in London told Reuters, “The days when global decisions were dictated by a small group of countries are long gone.”

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“We always believe that countries, big or small, strong or weak, poor or rich, are equals, and that world affairs should be handled through consultation by all countries,” the spokesperson added, as quoted by Reuters.

The only viable global system, according to the Chinese representative, is the international order founded on UN principles and “not the so-called rules formulated by a small number of countries.”

The G7 leaders, who are gathered in southern England, have been trying to come up with a clear answer to President Xi Jinping’s rising assertiveness in the aftermath of China’s unprecedented economic and military rise over the last 40 years.

The leaders of the group, which includes the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, and Japan, want to use their meeting in Carbis Bay, England, to demonstrate to the world that the wealthiest democracies of the world can oppose China’s expanding might.

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According to a Reuters source, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau led a G7 debate on China on Saturday, calling on leaders to come up with a cohesive response to the issues caused by the People’s Republic.

Along with the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, which ended the Cold War, the re-emergence of China as a key global power is regarded as one of the most momentous geopolitical events of modern times.

However, the re-emergence of China as a global force has alarmed the US. President Joe Biden has labelled China as the country’s top strategic rival and pledged to combat China’s “economic abuses” as well as human rights crimes.

The G7 intends to provide poorer countries an infrastructure package that might compete with Xi’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road project.

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After years of humiliation, Beijing has frequently retaliated against what it sees as Western attempts to restrict China, claiming that many major nations still have an antiquated colonial attitude.