Kyiv
\nChina\u2019s support for Russia is \u201cenabling\u201d its war in Ukraine, leaders of the world\u2019s most advanced economies warned Friday in a hardening of tone against Beijing, while threatening further sanctions against actors that materially support Moscow\u2019s war machine.
\nThe stark warning, issued at the end of the annual Group of Seven (G7) summit in Italy, comes as the United States is stepping up diplomatic efforts to convince Europe to adopt a tougher stance on China over its role in aiding Russia\u2019s military-industrial complex.
\n\u201cChina\u2019s ongoing support for Russia\u2019s defense industrial base is enabling Russia to maintain its illegal war in Ukraine and has significant and broad-based security implications,\u201d the G7 leaders said in the communique Friday.
\n\u201cWe call on China to cease the transfer of dual-use materials, including weapons components and equipment, that are inputs for Russia\u2019s defense sector.\u201d
\nThe leaders also threatened further actions, including sanctions, to punish Chinese entities that they say are helping Russia circumvent Western embargoes.
\n\u201cWe will continue taking measures against actors in China and third countries that materially support Russia\u2019s war machine, including financial institutions, consistent with our legal systems, and other entities in China that facilitate Russia\u2019s acquisition of items for its defense industrial base,\u201d the joint statement said, vowing to impose \u201crestrictive measures to prevent abuse and restrict access to our financial systems.\u201d
\nAmerican officials have accused China of helping Russia expand military manufacturing, including through exports like semiconductors, materials and machine tools they say are enabling Moscow to ramp up production of tanks, munitions and armored vehicles.
\nBeijing has refuted the allegation, saying it has not provided weapons to either side and maintains tight export controls on dual use goods.
\nThe US and European Union have already slapped sanctions on Chinese companies, and this week, the US imposed fresh sanctions on China-based firms supplying semiconductors to Russia.
\n\u201cChina does not supply weapons, but the ability to produce those weapons and the technology available to do it,\u201d US President Joe Biden said at the summit on Thursday. \u201cSo it is, in fact, helping Russia.\u201d
\nThe G7 is also taking a tougher stance on China\u2019s economic policies, especially on the issue of industrial overcapacity, vowing to take actions against \u201cunfair practices\u201d to \u201clevel the playing field and remedy ongoing harm.\u201d
\n\u201cWe express our concerns about China\u2019s persistent industrial targeting and comprehensive non-market policies and practices that are leading to global spillovers, market distortions and harmful overcapacity in a growing range of sectors, undermining our workers, industries, and economic resilience and security,\u201d the joint communique said.
\nThe day before the summit, the EU announced additional tariffs on electric vehicles (EV) imported from China following a months-long investigation, over what it sees as Beijing\u2019s unfair support for companies that undercut European carmakers.
\nLast month, the US also imposed new tariffs on $18 billion in Chinese imports across a handful of sectors deemed strategic to national security \u2013 including EVs and clean-energy products.
\nThe G7 also voiced strong opposition to what it says are China\u2019s unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the East and South China seas.
\n\u201cWe continue opposing China\u2019s dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia in the South China Sea and its repeated obstruction of countries\u2019 high seas freedom of navigation,\u201d the joint statement said.
\n\u201cWe express serious concern about the increasing use of dangerous maneuvers and water cannons against Philippine vessels.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kyiv China\u2019s support for Russia is \u201cenabling\u201d its war in Ukraine, leaders of the world\u2019s most advanced economies warned Friday in a hardening of tone against Beijing, while threatening further sanctions against actors that materially support Moscow\u2019s war machine. The stark warning, issued at the end of the annual Group of Seven (G7) summit in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":413164,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-413144","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n