US and Britain tell China and Russia: the West is not over yet

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with South Korea's Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong during a bilateral meeting as part of the G7 foreign ministers meeting, in London, Britain May 3, 2021. - Reuters

LONDON, May 4 (Reuters): The Group of Seven western democracies aims to court new allies to counter challenges from China and Russia without holding Beijing down and while pursuing more stable ties with the Kremlin, two of its top diplomats has announced.

Ahead of the first in-person G7 foreign ministers meeting since 2019, US President Joe Biden's secretary of state, Antony Blinken, sought to foster a message of multilateralism after four years of Twitter-diplomacy under Donald Trump variously shocked, bewildered and alarmed many Western allies.