The Group of Seven industrialized nations warned China to stop aiding Russia's war against Ukraine — and threatened to step up sanctions if it fails to comply.
The stark admonitions came in a 36-page statement released Friday during the G7's annual summit meeting in Italy.
In its official communiqué, the organization accused China of providing "ongoing support for Russia's defense industrial base."
That assistance is "enabling Russia to maintain its illegal war in Ukraine and has significant and broad-based security implications," the statement said.
"We call on China to cease the transfer of dual-use materials, including weapons components and equipment, that are inputs for Russia's defense sector," the G7 said.
The G7 also vowed to "continue taking measures against actors in China and third countries that materially support Russia's war machine."
The sanctions would target "financial institutions, consistent with our legal systems, and other entities in China that facilitate Russia's acquisition of items for its defense industrial base," the statement noted.
The U.S. has been pushing the G7 to take a harder line against China, with President Joe Biden telling the summit on Thursday that the communist country "does not supply weapons, but the ability to produce those weapons and the technology available to do it," according to CNN.
"So, it is, in fact, helping Russia," he said.
In addition to the U.S., the G7 members are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom.
During closed-door discussions, there was "strong language" about China's support for Russia and its role in helping Moscow get around western sanctions, a source familiar with the talks told the Financial Times.
A second person familiar with the talks also told the FT: "The era of naivety toward Beijing is definitely gone now and China is to blame for that, honestly."
Chinese state media attacked the G7 summit, with government news agency Xinhua citing protests in a nearby city over climate change and the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the FT said.
Last month, Biden announced new tariffs on $18 billion worth of a broad range of Chinese imports over the next two years, including a 100% tariff on electric vehicles.
One day before the G7 summit, the European Union also increased its tariffs on Chinese EVs, bringing the top rate to nearly 50%, according to CNN.
