Beijing is accused of escalating support for Russia during the war in Ukraine, the Group of Seven (G7) allies plan to increase pressure on the Chinese Communist Party while expressing “firm commitment” to Ukraine.
According to a draft early communiqué obtained by Bloomberg, G-7 foreign ministers expected to attend a meeting in Italy on Monday and Tuesday will pledge to take “appropriate measures consistent with our legal systems” against Beijing and other third-party actors who “support Russia’s war machine.”
As the Russia-Ukraine war continues for a thousand days, the language from the G7 towards the Chinese Communist Party is becoming increasingly stern. In a foreign ministers meeting in April, countries urged China to “ensure” the cessation of providing dual-use weapons to Russia. In July, NATO allies referred to China as providing “decisive help” to Russia in its war in Ukraine.
It is expected that G7 allies will continue to “exert significant pressure on Russia’s energy, metal, and other commodity revenues, and combat the ‘shadow fleet’ through effective implementation of existing measures and further actions.”
Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, the United States and its allies have imposed extensive sanctions against Russia.
The new measures aim to curb Russia’s secret oil tanker fleet established to circumvent price caps and restrictions on pushing its oil to the market.
Last week, the EU foreign ministers discussed this issue, with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warning that China’s assistance to Russia “will and must have consequences.”
Previously, Bloomberg reported in July that Chinese and Russian companies were developing attack drones similar to the Iranian model deployed in Ukraine.
Another part of the draft condemns North Korea for deploying its soldiers in Ukraine and calls for de-escalation of the situation in the Middle East.