Trudeau says G7 leaders agreed to co-ordinate China approach much more closely

Clockwise from top centre, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, U.S. President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Council Charles Michel, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, sit around the table at the top of the G7 meeting in Carbis Bay, England on Friday, June 11, 2021. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP)

G7 leaders on Sunday agreed to coordinate their response to the challenges posed by China "much, much more closely," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said after a summit in the United Kingdom.

Trudeau led a G7 discussion of China on Saturday and called for a unified approach, a source said.

The grouping needed to "stand strong and united" on China and agreed to measures to do that, Trudeau said.

"What we really came together clearly to say and put forward today was a need to speak with one voice, a need to coordinate much more closely our working together and our focus," he told a televised news conference.

One concrete example of G7 action was its offer to help developing nations with an infrastructure plan that could rival Beijing's Belt and Road initiative, he said.

On some issues, such as climate change, the G7 needed to work with China, he said.

"There are areas where we need to challenge China directly, for example on human rights. So a firm united position such as the one we established here at the G7 will continue to show our approach based on shared values and respect for international rights is good not just for us but the planet," he added.