G7 countries plan to intensify pressure on China for supporting Russia in war - Bloomberg
Photo: G7 countries plan to increase pressure on China for supporting Russia in the war (Getty Images)
G7 countries plan to intensify pressure on China over its assistance to Russia in the war against Ukraine. New sanctions against Russia's "shadow fleet" are also expected to be adopted, Bloomberg informs.
According to a draft communiqué reviewed by the media outlet, the foreign ministers of the G7 countries, meeting in Italy on Monday and Tuesday, are expected to pledge to take "appropriate measures consistent with our legal systems, against actors in China and in other third countries" that support Russia's "war machine" in Ukraine.
It is also noted that Ukraine's allies are determined to take firm measures against countries that assist Russia's military efforts, especially before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump in January.
The wording on China, if adopted, would represent an "escalation" compared to the previous foreign ministers' meeting in April, when the G7 called on China to "ensure" it would cease its support for Russia, particularly with "dual-use weapons."
The G7 allies are also expected to "continue to apply significant pressure on Russian revenues from energy, metals and other commodities through the effective implementation of existing measures and further actions against the ‘shadow fleet.’"
The new measures are reportedly aimed at restricting the use of Russia's secret fleet of tankers, which has been assembled to bypass price caps and restrictions intended to limit the aggressor country's ability to supply oil to the market.
Bloomberg notes that the communiqué often changes before the final version is published, and revisions may still be made to the wording.
Foreign ministers of the European Union discussed this issue last week, with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warning that China's assistance to Russia "will and must have consequences."
Recent discussions about China's role came after it was reported in July that Chinese and Russian companies are developing a strike drone similar to the Iranian model deployed in Ukraine. "This raised fears that Beijing may be edging closer to providing the sort of lethal aid that western officials have warned against," the news agency stated.
Another section of the draft communiqué reportedly "condemns North Korea’s deployment of its soldiers in Ukraine" and calls for de-escalation in the Middle East.
Russia-China cooperation
China claims to maintain a supposedly neutral stance on Russia's war against Ukraine. However, Chinese companies continue to supply Russia with dual-use goods. Officially, there has been no confirmed transfer of Chinese weapons to Moscow.
Recently, Ukraine's Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy, Vladyslav Vasiuk, stated that around 60% of foreign components found in Russian weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine come from China.
Additionally, it has recently been reported that the European Union is considering the possibility of imposing sanctions on China, as the country has, for the first time, sent weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine. The EU claims to have "convincing" evidence of these shipments.
