Group of Seven leaders on Sunday scolded China over human rights in its Xinjiang region, called for Hong Kong to keep a high degree of autonomy and demanded a full and thorough investigation of the origins of the coronavirus in China.

After discussing how to come up with a unified position on China, leaders issued a highly critical final communique that delved into what are for China some of the most sensitive issues, including also Taiwan.

...

Before the G7 criticism emerged, China pointedly cautioned G7 leaders that the days when "small" groups of countries decided the fate of the world were long gone.

The G7 also underscored "the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues".

"We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo and increase tensions," they said.

...

Beijing has repeatedly hit back against what it perceives as attempts by Western powers to contain China. It says many major powers are still gripped by an outdated imperial mindset after years of humiliating China.

U.N. experts and rights groups estimate that more than a million people, mainly Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, have been detained in recent years in a vast system of camps in Xinjiang in northwest China.

China denies all accusations of forced labour or abuse. It initially denied the camps existed, but has since said they are vocational centres and are designed to combat extremism. In late 2019, China said all people in the camps had "graduated".

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© Reuters/Kevin Lamarque
US President Joe Biden at Cornwall Airport, Britain
June 13, 2021

US President Joe Biden was seen wandering around a cafe in Cornwall, England, before his wife stepped in and led him away. Conservatives, who have long questioned Biden's mental acuity, called the video "painful to watch."

Video footage posted online on Friday, but largely ignored by the mainstream media, shows Biden wandering slowly onto a cafe terrace. Someone on the terrace, most likely an ITV journalist, asks "How are your meetings going in Cornwall?" Biden then freezes, flashes a thumbs-up, and replies "Very good."

First Lady Jill Biden then steps in and beckons her husband toward her, before leading him away by the hand as diners laugh out loud.

Biden's demeanor and apparent confusion raised eyebrows online, particularly among American conservatives, who have claimed since last year's campaign that Biden was showing signs of cognitive decline. Video footage of Biden's verbal gaffes and blunders since becoming president - like forgetting the names of his own officials and losing his train of thought at his single solo press conference - have only lent weight to their claims.

"This is really painful to watch," conservative journalist Kyle Becker tweeted.

Biden's supposed "senior moment" wasn't the aging Democrat's only blunder at the weekend-long G7 summit in Cornwall. News footage on Saturday showed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson correcting Biden, after Biden introduced the president of South Africa after Johnson had already done so. The video then shows Johnson apparently attempting to stop Biden talking to the group of world leaders at a meeting.

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