The United States and the United Kingdom seek allies
London. Two of its top diplomats said on Monday that the G7 intends to win over new allies to meet the challenges from China and Russia, without holding back Beijing and seeking more stable relations with the Kremlin at the same time.
Ahead of the first in-person meeting of the G7 foreign ministers since 2019, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken sought to reinforce the message of multilateralism after four years of Twitter diplomacy under Donald Trump’s leadership, stunned and alarmed many allies.
“It is not our purpose to try to contain or curb China,” Blinken told reporters at a news conference with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.
He added that the West would defend “the international rules-based order” from attempts at sabotage by any country, including China. Diplomats wanted to tell the world that the West would stand firm. Raab spoke of building coalitions rather than breaking them.
“I see a growing demand and need for flexible groups of like-minded countries who share the same values and want to protect the multilateral system,” Raab said.
Even without its broader alliance, the G7 still carries a heavy weight: collectively, it is much larger economically and militarily than China.
“Coffee fanatic. Gamer. Award-winning zombie lover. Student. Hardcore internet advocate. Twitter guru. Subtly charming bacon nerd. Thinker.”
