TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Biden urges China to act responsibly on human rights

Biden said at a press conference after a Group of Seven summit in Cornwall, southwestern England, that he and other leaders shared concerns over China's lack of transparency.

Kyodo News
London, United Kingdom
Mon, June 14, 2021

Share This Article

Change Size

Biden urges China to act responsibly on human rights (left-right) President of the European Council Charles Michel, US President Joe Biden and Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga gesture after posing for the family photo at the start of the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall on June 11, 2021. G7 leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the United States meet this weekend for the first time in nearly two years, for three-day talks in Carbis Bay, Cornwall. (AFP/Ludovic Marin)

U

S President Joe Biden on Sunday urged China to "act more responsibly" on human rights, underscoring concerns over the treatment of the Muslim Uyghur minority in Xinjiang, and expressed doubts over Beijing's explanation of the coronavirus' origin.

Biden said at a press conference after a Group of Seven summit in Cornwall, southwestern England, that he and other leaders shared concerns over China's lack of transparency.

"We haven't had access to the laboratories to determine whether or not -- and I have not reached a conclusion because our intelligence community is not certain yet -- whether or not this was a consequence of, from the marketplace, a bat interfacing with animals and the environment that caused this COVID-19 or it was an experiment gone awry in a laboratory."

The United States has expressed "deep concerns" over the World Health Organization's investigation into the origins of the coronavirus, first discovered in Wuhan, central China.

Biden said the G-7, a gathering of the world's wealthiest democracies, is fighting an ideological battle with autocratic governments including Beijing.

"I think we're in a contest, not with China per se, but a contest with autocrats, autocratic governments around the world, as to whether or not democracies can compete with them in the rapidly changing 21st century."

"And I think how we act and whether we pull together as democracies is going to determine whether our grandkids look back 15 years from now and say, did they step up?"

Biden said the United States is turning back to its traditional partnerships and alliances after four years under his predecessor, Donald Trump, who espoused an "America First" mantra.

"America is back in the business of leading the world alongside nations who share our most deeply held values."

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.