G7 leaders meeting in Italy on Friday hardened their tone against China, warning Beijing to stop sending weapons components to Russia and play by the rules on trade, according to a draft summit statement. China has been a key focus of the Group of Seven talks in Puglia, amid souring trade relations between Beijing and the West and concerns that its supplies of equipment to Moscow are fuelling Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine. \u201cWe call on China to cease the transfer of dual-use materials, including weapons components and equipment, that are inputs for Russia\u2019s defence sector,\u201d according to a draft statement seen by AFP. The Group of Seven also took aim at what it called \u201cdangerous\u201d incursions by China in the South China Sea, where worries of a military escalation between Beijing and its neighbours are rising. \u201cWe oppose China\u2019s militarisation, and coercive and intimidation activities in the South China Sea,\u201d the statement read, using stronger language than at last year\u2019s summit in Japan. After a first day dominated by Ukraine, US Presi\u00addent Joe Biden and the leaders of Japan, France, Germany, Cana\u00adda, Britain and host country Italy turned their focus to the world\u2019s second-largest economy, a superpower whose oversized influence on geopolitics and global trade cannot be underestimated. \u201cG7 countries are on the same page vis-a-vis China,\u201d a Japanese government source told AFP. Thursday\u2019s talks, attended by Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky, were marked by a strong show of G7 support for Kyiv, with an agreement to use profits from frozen Russian assets to provide a new $50-billion loan to Ukraine. With the war in its third year, the G7 statement said the deal sent an \u201cunmistakeable signal\u201d to Russian President Vladimir Putin that they would back Kyiv for \u201cas long as it takes\u201d. Humanitarian relief The G7 leaders said the UN Palestinian refugee agency must be allowed to work unhindered in Gaza. \u201cWe agree it is critical that UNRWA and other UN organisations and agencies\u2019 distribution networks be fully able to deliver aid to those who need it most, fulfilling their mandate effectively,\u201d they said. They called for all parties to facilitate \u201crapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need\u201d in Gaza, particularly women and children. \u201cSecuring full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access in all its forms \u2014 consistent with international humanitarian law, and through all relevant land crossing points, including the Rafah crossing, through maritime delivery routes, including through Ashdod Port \u2014 and throughout all of Gaza remains an absolute priority,\u201d they said. UNRWA, which coordinates nearly all aid to Gaza, has been in crisis since January, when Israel accused about a dozen of its 13,000 Gaza employees of being involved in the October 7 attack. That prompted many governments, including top donor the United States, to suspend funding to the agency, threatening its effo\u00adrts to deliver aid in Gaza, although several have since resumed payments. In the draft statement, the G7 leaders repeated concern at the \u201cunacceptable number of civilian casualties\u201d in the Gaza conflict, now into its ninth month. They again endorse a truce and prisoner release deal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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