Biden lands in England for his international tour 2:08
(CNN) -
US President Joe Biden's plan to unite Washington's closest allies in the West and take on China has just achieved a major political victory.
But it will take much more than words to slow down the advance of the world's second-largest economy.
The United States joined the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Canada this weekend in delivering the G7's strongest condemnation of China in decades.
The group faced China on almost every pain point, from allegations of human rights abuses and forced labor in Xinjiang to ongoing political disputes over Hong Kong, Taiwan and the South China Sea.
The wealthiest democracies in the West also pushed for a renewed independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
In addition, they promoted a green alternative to the China Belt and Road, President Xi Jinping's expansive plan to boost his business influence.
Biden 100-Day Poll: More Popular Than Trump 0:59
The rhetoric, at least, is a step forward for a US president who has tried to rally his diplomatic partners to counter what Washington sees as his greatest threat to trade, technology and other issues of strategic importance.
Former President Donald Trump spoke harshly about China and hit the country and its prized companies with sanctions.
Yet it never really presented a united front with America's Western allies, often burning bridges instead of building them.
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Announcement and doubts in the G7
The G7 announcement doesn't include many concrete steps forward.
For example, he is forming a task force to explore what he called the "Rebuild a Better World" initiative.
It is a private sector-led plan to "help reduce the more than $ 40 trillion infrastructure need in the developing world."
Clearly a challenge for the Belt and Road initiative.
However, he has yet to establish how much the program would cost, which is expected to be funded by groups in the US government, the private sector and the G7 countries.
Joe Biden talks about his meeting with Queen Elizabeth II 4:05
Western leaders' communique calls for China to "respect human rights and fundamental freedoms" in Xinjiang and Hong Kong came with few details on how to move forward with action.
Nor was any practical means offered to safeguard the stability of the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
China still countered against the statement, accusing the G7 of "deliberately defaming China" and "arbitrarily interfering in the internal affairs" of the country.
The Chinese embassy in London called it "a serious violation of the basic rules of international relations".
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Worry in China?
There are a couple of reasons why Beijing should be watching its back.
Some Trump-era sanctions were effective in slowing China's technological rise;
for example, his campaign against Huawei.
The company saw its smartphone and 5G businesses take a hit by restricting its access to American technology.
This added to pressure from the United States on Europe and elsewhere to prevent it from expanding its reach.
Under Biden, the United States recently extended the ban on American investment in dozens of Chinese companies.
Lawmakers are pushing for a bill that would invest hundreds of billions of dollars in American technology, science and research.
This would be another challenge for China.
"Irreconcilable differences in values and growing frictions with China's mercantilist and authoritarian model will continue to drive polarization and competition," said Alex Capri, senior fellow at the Hinrich Foundation and visiting senior fellow at the National University of Singapore.
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Biden and world leaders meet at G7 2021 summit
He added that the West's "value-driven" frameworks around infrastructure development, trade and supply chain networks are "clearly emerging."
"Human rights standards around privacy and freedom of expression, fair labor standards and a clean environment will serve to further alienate Beijing," Capri said.
These tensions have already manifested themselves globally.
Many Western companies face pressure to limit business in China due to concerns about forced labor.
In turn, some companies have faced boycotts within China for denouncing the government's handling of Xinjiang.
Just before the G7 summit began, China passed a law to counter foreign sanctions.
This is a symbolic warning that any countermeasure taken by the West will be met with strong retaliation.
Differences from China
Still, it may be difficult for the G7 nations to contain China.
This weekend, democratic leaders expressed serious differences on the best way to approach China.
The United States, Britain and Canada urged stronger action against China's authoritarianism than their allies.
Putin, China and covid-19, on the agenda of G7 leaders 3:53
The reluctance of European countries to apply too much harshness to China may be due in part to heavy economic dependence.
From 2010 to 2019, Germany received € 22.7 billion ($ 27.5 billion) in Chinese foreign direct investment.
Italy also received 15.9 billion euros ($ 19.2 billion).
France, meanwhile, 14.4 billion euros ($ 17.4 billion), according to the Mecrator Institute for China Studies.
Even the United Kingdom, where relations with China have been deeply strained in the past two years, received 50.3 billion euros ($ 60.9 million).
Many of those Western countries, like Germany, rely on partnerships with China to boost other industries like auto.
Furthermore, they seek to provide large markets for their exports.
"Ultimately, the European Union's desire for strategic autonomy and Biden's search for allies to mainly counter China will create natural barriers to cooperation," Eurasia Group analysts wrote in a note last week before Biden's trip. .
For Asia
South Korea will exempt some travelers who have received their Covid-19 vaccines abroad from their mandatory two-week quarantine, health authorities said on Sunday.
A houseplant with just nine leaves sold for a record $ 19,297 on a New Zealand auction site.
China has released new photos of its Mars rover exploring the surface of the red planet, and state media hailed it as a sign of the mission's "complete success."
Meanwhile, the US government spent last week assessing a report of a leak at a Chinese nuclear power plant, after a French company that owns and helps to operate it warned of an "imminent radiological threat." according to US officials and documents reviewed by CNN.
Deadly explosion triggers bad memories at uncomfortable time for China
China's top leaders have ordered an urgent investigation after 12 people died and more than a hundred were injured.
This occurred in a gas explosion on Sunday in the central Hubei province of the country.
Everything, in the midst of the questions of the West.
Footage from the scene in Shiyan City's Zhangwan District showed blackened streets covered in rubble.
At least one building completely destroyed by the explosion.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation, according to local authorities.
China's leadership has wasted no time in pressing for a thorough investigation.
In a statement released after the incident by the state news agency Xinhua, Chinese President Xi Jinping said those responsible for the blast should be "held accountable."
Xi also called for a comprehensive review of security standards across the country to ensure that Chinese citizens are protected.
China has a long history of deadly industrial accidents.
On May 26, eight people were killed in an explosion in Heilongjiang province caused by illegal explosives.
Three days later, eight employees were injured when a raw materials pipeline exploded at an oil refinery in Shenzhen.
Worst of all for the government is that Sunday's explosion in Hubei will trigger memories of those that occurred in Tianjin in 2015. Those incidents killed more than 110 people and raised serious questions about whether the authorities were doing enough to protect citizens. from China.
Xi has made it clear that he has political considerations in mind.
In his statement released by Xinhua, the president said that it was important "to maintain general social stability and create a good atmosphere for the centenary of the Party."
With the celebrations of July 1 for the centenary of the Communist Party just weeks away, Beijing does not want more industrial accidents to overshadow its big day.
ChinaG7Joe BidenXi Jinping