G7's era of dominance is over, China says

By Seo Ji-yeon, The Herald Business

China's state media has launched a direct challenge to the US-led international order, declaring that the era of G7 dominance is over. The broadside came in response to the G7's recent agreement to reduce dependence on China for rare earth elements and other critical minerals, with Beijing countering by championing a "multipolar world order."

China Daily, the state-run English-language newspaper, published a commentary Thursday titled "The era of G7 domination of the world is gone," arguing that "the era when a handful of developed nations could set the direction of the international system through closed-door meetings is clearly over."

"Today's world is more multipolar, more interconnected and more diverse," the outlet said. "Issues such as development, climate change, AI and global economic governance demand far broader participation and representation."

The commentary appeared shortly after the G7 summit in France. In their joint communiqué, G7 leaders pledged to jointly counter any attempt by a single country to weaponize rare earth and critical mineral supply chains. While China was not named directly, analysts widely interpreted the statement as targeting Beijing's expanding controls over rare earth exports and supply chain leverage.

China Daily also trained its focus on divisions within the G7 itself.

"Over the past two decades, the G7's agenda has shifted from poverty reduction and the provision of global public goods to geopolitical competition and trade conflict," the paper said. "The problem is that the group can no longer even resolve disputes among its own allies."

The commentary particularly highlighted strains in the transatlantic relationship since President Donald Trump's return to power.

"The United States is engaged in trade disputes with Europe and is casting doubt on long-standing security commitments," China Daily said. "It is openly clashing with its allies over defense spending and industrial policy."

The paper also pointed to shifting economic weight.

According to IMF data, G7 economies accounted for roughly 60 percent of global GDP in 2005 but have since fallen to around 40 percent. China's share of global GDP, meanwhile, rose from about 7 percent to roughly 18 percent over the same period.

Beijing has used those figures to argue that the international order's representational structure must change.

In fact, China has for years promoted "equal and orderly multipolarization" and "inclusive economic globalization" as its diplomatic slogans, investing heavily in expanding BRICS and rallying Global South nations behind its vision.

The latest commentary is seen as more than a critique of the G7 — it is viewed as part of a broader strategy to position China as the central pillar of a new international order.

However, analysts say a rapid collapse of G7 influence remains unlikely.

G7 nations still hold overwhelming sway over global financial markets, reserve currency systems, advanced technology and military power. Key institutions underpinning the existing international order — including the IMF, the World Bank and NATO — remain largely dominated by Western countries.

Even so, China's willingness to openly question the legitimacy of the G7 system is seen as a signal that competition over the international order is expanding beyond economics and trade into the realm of norms and institutions.