G7 leaders and heads of other countries during a session on AI, energy, Africa and West Asia, Friday. (PHOTO: AP/PTI)
The Group of Seven (G7) countries pledged on Friday to tackle China’s so-called unfair trade practices that undermine their workers and industries, according to a draft statement on the final day of their annual summit.
The G7 also warned of action against Chinese financial institutions that helped Russia obtain weapons for its war against Ukraine.
Pope Francis joined the leaders of Italy, the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Japan in southern Italy on Friday, a historic appearance at a G7 to take part in a discussion on artificial intelligence.
The pope met with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and was later expected to hold talks with other leaders, including US President Joe Biden.
The draft summit statement, reviewed by Reuters, stressed that the G7 is not seeking to harm China or thwart its economic development, but will “continue to take actions to protect our companies from unfair practices, to level the playing field and to repair the ongoing damage.”
Washington expected unprecedented unity within the G7 in confronting China’s non-market policies and practices, a senior US official at the G7 said.
The US this week imposed new sanctions on China-based companies that supply semiconductors to Russia, amid concerns about Beijing’s increasingly aggressive stance against Taiwan and conflict with the Philippines over rival maritime claims.
“China is not providing weapons, but the ability to produce those weapons and the technology available to do so, so it is actually helping Russia,” Biden told reporters at the summit on Thursday after signing a bilateral security treaty with Zelenskiy.
On the first day of their meeting in southern Italy, the G7 countries agreed to a deal to provide Ukraine with $50 billion in loans, backed by interest from frozen Russian assets. They called the agreement a strong signal of Western resolve.
Biden held talks Friday with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the host of the summit, where they agreed to pursue all options to impose further costs on Russia.
In the draft, G7 leaders also promised sanctions against entities that helped Russia evade sanctions on its oil by fraudulently transporting it.
ABORTION WORDING ROW
The draft reiterates commitments made at last year’s G7 meeting in Japan on sexual and reproductive rights, but does not directly mention the word abortion.
The issue has sparked a dispute between France and Italy after Rome – which holds the rotating presidency of the G7 – demanded the removal of a reference to “safe and legal abortion” from the final declaration.
The Pope will be joined by 10 other heads of state and government, including the Prime Minister of India and the King of Jordan, as the G7 opens its doors to outsiders in a bid to show it is not an aloof, exclusive club.
The leaders will also discuss immigration, a crucial issue for Meloni, who is pushing Europe to help curb illegal flows from Africa and who has launched a flagship plan to boost development on the continent to address the root cause of the departure.
Many of the leaders, including Biden, will leave Italy late on Friday, and Meloni said they had already agreed on the summit’s conclusions, which will be approved at the end of the day.
There will be room for bilateral meetings on Saturday for those who remain, ahead of a final press conference by Meloni.
First print: June 15, 2024 | 12:07 pm IST