‘Gross Interference,’ China Says of Summit Statement

BEIJING — China today denounced the seven leading industrialized nations for their “gross interference” in calling on China’s Communist leaders to end their crackdown on participants in the pro-democracy movement.

The government also protested that its embassy in Paris was attacked for the second time since the crackdown and that the bicentennial parade in the French capital last week included Chinese pro-democracy students.

A front-page editorial in the Communist Party newspaper, the People’s Daily, called on the “Group of Seven” to follow a foreign policy based on economic and strategic considerations and not by judging other nations.

‘Damaged China’s Interests’

“The actions taken by the Chinese government have in no way offended the West or any other country,” it said. “The problem arises simply because certain countries, out of their own likes and dislikes and their sense of value, have in a broad scope directly damaged China’s interests and dignity with words and deeds.

“The near-sighted practice of keeping China away from the world community may not only undermine world peace and stability, but hurt the interests of the Western countries as well.”

The United States, Great Britain, West Germany, Italy, France, Japan and Canada included their comments on China in a communique issued at the end of the Paris summit this weekend.

Official Chinese news reports on the summit did not mention the portion of the communique dealing with China, but the People’s Daily editorial was read on the radio and the official New China News Agency issued a full English translation.

The editorial did not quote from the statement but said it “made unwarranted charges” based on the seven nations’ “so-called values.”