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Ukrainian rescue workers work at the scene of a missile attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 25, 2024.
CNN
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China’s support for Russia is “enabling” Russia’s war in Ukraine, leaders of the world’s leading economies warned on Friday, toughening their stance against Beijing and threatening further sanctions against entities that materially support Russia’s military.
The stern warning came at the end of a G7 summit in Italy and as the United States steps up diplomatic efforts to persuade Europe to take a tougher stance against China over its support for Russia’s military-industrial complex.
“China’s continued support for Russia’s defence industrial base enables Russia to continue its illegal war in Ukraine, with severe and far-reaching security implications,” the G7 leaders said in a statement on Friday.
“We call on China to halt the transfer of dual-use items, including weapons parts and equipment, to the Russian defense sector.”
The two leaders also warned that further measures, including sanctions, would be taken to punish Chinese companies for helping Russia circumvent Western trade embargoes.
“We will continue to take action, in accordance with our legal framework, against Chinese and third-country financial institutions that materially support Russia’s military, as well as other Chinese entities that facilitate the procurement of goods for Russia’s defense industrial base,” the joint statement said, vowing to take “restrictive measures to prevent abuse and limit access to our financial system.”
U.S. officials have accused China of helping expand Russia’s military manufacturing industry, saying its exports of semiconductors, materials and machine tools have boosted Moscow’s military production. Tanks, ammunition and armoured vehicles.
China denies the allegations, saying it does not provide weapons to either side and has strict export controls on dual-use products.
The United States and the European Union have already imposed sanctions on Chinese companies, and this week the United States imposed new sanctions on Chinese companies that supply semiconductors to Russia.
“China is not supplying weapons, it’s supplying the capabilities and the technology to build them,” U.S. President Joe Biden said at the summit on Thursday. “So China is, in effect, assisting Russia.”
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G7 leaders met in southern Italy this week, with strengthening support for Ukraine at the top of their agenda.
The G7 has also taken a tougher stance on China’s economic policies, particularly on the issue of industrial overcapacity, vowing to take action against “unfair practices” to “level the playing field and redress ongoing harm.”
“We express concern that China’s relentless industrial targeting and comprehensive non-market policies and practices are having global spillover effects, market distortions, and harmful excess capacity in an increasingly broad range of sectors, undermining the resilience and security of our workers, industries, and economies,” the joint statement said.
On the eve of the summit, the EU Announced China said it would impose tariffs on electric vehicles (EVs) imported from China following a months-long investigation into Beijing’s unfair support for companies that are undercutting European automakers by offering cheaper options.
Last month, the United States New tariffs were imposed Tariffs on $18 billion in Chinese imports across a handful of categories deemed critical to national security, including electric vehicles and clean energy products.
The G7 also expressed strong opposition to China’s unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas through force and coercion.
“We continue to oppose China’s dangerous use of its coast guard and maritime militia in the South China Sea and its repeated interference with countries’ freedom of navigation on the high seas,” the joint statement said.
“We express serious concern over the increasing number of dangerous actions and use of water cannons against Philippine vessels.”