G7 countries slam Chinese firms’ support for Russia’s defence industry
Al Jazeera
Ministers say the transfer of weapons components is enabling Russia to ‘reconstitute and revitalise’ its defence production for its war in Ukraine.
Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) countries have expressed “strong concern” about the transfer of materials and weapons components from Chinese businesses to Russia for its military offensive in Ukraine.
At a meeting on the Italian island of Capri, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged his counterparts on Friday to increase pressure on China, which the United States accuses of supporting Russia’s war effort though its provision of critical components for weaponry.
Blinken said this was fuelling “the biggest threat to European security since the end of the Cold War”, telling a news conference, “We see China sharing machine tools, semiconductors, other dual-use items that have helped Russia rebuild the defence industrial base.”
As they ended their meeting on Capri, the G7 ministers said transfers of such material from Chinese companies were being used by Russia “to advance its military production”.
“This is enabling Russia to reconstitute and revitalise its defence industrial base, posing a threat both to Ukraine and to international peace and security,” they said, calling on China to stop its backing “as it will only prolong this conflict and increase the threat that Russia poses to its neighbours”.
