Call for Australia to join expanded G7 as counter to China

Australia should join the G7 countries, along with India and South Korea, to form a Democratic 10, an influential British parliamentary group has proposed.

Former foreign minister Alexander Downer. Picture: AAP

Australia should join the G7 countries, along with India and South Korea, to form a Democratic 10 and create a new diplomatic and economic counter to China, an influential British parliamentary group has proposed.

The China Research Group of Conservative MPs has called for a coherent China strategy from the world’s democratic nations, including a new trading bloc.

The group wants the Democratic 10, or D10, to include Australia, India and South Korea, plus the current G7 countries of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the US.

As well as creating a bigger economic force to counter China’s influence, the D10 could also create a trade organisation to further liberalise and deepen trade.

The ideas were released on Tuesday in a report that says the “D10 countries should also work together to correct the market distortions caused by China’s trade practices and control of the Chinese market, which also affects foreign companies operating in China.

“Since China has grown to become one of the world’s largest economies, there could be a powerful coalition of nations who share similar values to respond to the CCP’s power and influence, and hold it accountable to violations of international laws.”

Alexander Downer, Australia’s former foreign minister, wrote a foreword to the report, and said: “China must understand that human rights are universal. Breaches of human rights within China’s border are inevitably going to arouse the wrath of the international community.

“The British government should be making it clear to China that it does not support a policy of containment, but expects China not just rigorously to apply the rules-based international system but to uphold international standards of protection of intellectual property and fair trading.’’