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China's harsh reaction to the Group of Seven (G7) nations' summit in Japan shows that language used by the leaders was not too soft, a spokesperson for the German government said on Monday.
The allies' communique released at the close of the summit mentioned continued investment in China. G7 leaders have also called for a derisking of economic relations with the Asian superpower.
Speaking at a regular news conference in Berlin, the spokesperson said that Chancellor Olaf Scholz had praised the word choice of the communique because it showed nuance.
"You can see by China's harsh reaction that this can certainly be interpreted in different ways and also as not too soft," the spokesperson added.
Beijing summoned Japan's envoy and berated Britain in response to statements issued at the group's summit in Hiroshima, which underscored a wide range of tensions between China and the group of rich countries.
A spokesperson for the foreign ministry said she had no knowledge of any German diplomat being summoned by Beijing over the summit, which China's state-backed Global Times called an "anti-China workshop". (Reporting by Rachel More, Editing by Friederike Heine)