[By Guancha Observer Network, Qi Qian] The escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine has cast a shadow of war over the G7 Summit being held in Canada. Under this backdrop, the European Union is still striving to persuade the United States to lift tariffs on Europe, attempting to "divert the blame" and calling for joint efforts to counter China.

According to a June 17 report by Politico EU, at the G7 Summit held in Canada on June 16, European Commission President von der Leyen repeated her old tricks, incessantly talking about some so-called economic threats from China in front of US President Trump, and referring to China as a "real challenge." However, when it came to concrete actions, G7 was not so "bold," and did not directly mention China in the draft statement.

The report mentioned that von der Leyen tried to reach a consensus with Trump, criticizing China's export restrictions on critical materials such as rare earths and magnets.

According to the meeting minutes released by the EU, on that day, von der Leyen, at a meeting about the global economy, again accused China with reasons like "trade subsidies," while smearing China for "weaponizing" its leading position in the production and refining of key raw materials, weakening competitors.

There was also an interesting move; von der Leyen specifically brought a magnet prop to the meeting site.

In April this year, after US President Trump imposed extremely high tariffs on China, Beijing quickly retaliated, including imposing export controls on a series of critical minerals and rare earth magnets. Some industry insiders revealed that China is establishing an export licensing system. As the impact of these controls becomes apparent, Western enterprises are lamenting the "rare earth shortage" and are jointly hyping up the so-called "rare earth weaponization" to attempt to launch a propaganda war against China.

On June 16, G7 leaders held a roundtable meeting G7 official X account

At the G7 Leaders' Roundtable Meeting that day, von der Leyen said in front of Trump: "When we focus our attention on tariffs among partners, our energy will be diverted from the real challenge - a challenge that threatens all of us." She then claimed that China is committed to "weakening intellectual property protection, providing huge subsidies, aiming to dominate global manufacturing and supply chains."

Von der Leyen added that she agrees with Trump's remarks about the "trade imbalance issue" regarding China, while calling on the US to work together with allies to address this issue, jointly tackle China's dominant position in the raw material sector, rather than impose tariffs on allies.

She also warned of the so-called "New China Impact," where China floods the global market with cheap state-subsidized products.

Politico EU mentioned that for months, the EU has been trying to persuade Trump not to target the EU in the trade war.

After Trump took a tough stance on trade and security issues with the EU, many believed that this would provide an opportunity to improve EU-China relations. However, the EU's attitude toward China is very awkward: on one hand, it engages in trade talks with China, but simultaneously strives to "divert the blame," attempting to emphasize to the Trump administration that China is a common threat to the West.

However, although von der Leyen directly criticized China in her speech that day, G7 as a whole may not be so bold.

It was reported that in the draft statement to be released during the summit, G7 leaders promised to implement a "Critical Minerals Action Plan." However, the draft did not name China, but indirectly referred to "non-market policies and practices in the critical minerals sector."

On June 16, von der Leyen met with Trump in Canada von der Leyen X account

Local time on June 15, G7 leaders and EU representatives convened a meeting in Canada, which was originally scheduled to end on June 17. According to reports by Associated Press and CNN, there were several disagreements among G7 leaders during the summit, including how to respond to the rapidly deteriorating Middle East situation and Russian policy.

On June 16, Trump said at the opening ceremony of the G7 Summit that excluding Russia from the Group of Eight (G8) was a mistake. He said that former US President Obama and former Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau expelled Russia from the G8. "This was a big mistake. There wouldn't be a war now if Russia were in this group, and there wouldn't have been a war four years ago if I were president back then."

When asked whether China should also join the G7, Trump replied: "That's a good idea. If someone wants China to join, I'm not against it." He added: "What's important is that world leaders should have the opportunity to talk at such summits."

On the same day, a source familiar with the matter told CNN that Trump does not intend to sign a joint statement calling for Israel and Iran to ease tensions, drafted by G7 countries, and questioned its effectiveness. The statement, drafted by European countries, emphasized Israel's right to self-defense and that Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons. However, some European officials said that countries are still negotiating the wording of the statement, "not settled yet."

Regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict, Trump stated at the G7 Summit that he might soon reach a diplomatic agreement with Iran, facilitating a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, while reiterating that the United States is committed to ensuring that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons.

On the same day, Reuters reported that Iran has communicated through Gulf countries with the Trump administration, requesting that the US pressure Israel to immediately agree to a ceasefire. It was revealed that Oman is drafting a ceasefire proposal aimed at restarting negotiations between the US and Iran on Iran's nuclear program. An Iranian source said that if Israel immediately ceases fire, Iran is willing to show flexibility in nuclear negotiations.

Late that day, the White House said that due to the Middle East situation, Trump would leave Canada a day earlier. White House press secretary Letitia wrote on the X platform: "The summit achieved many results, but given the Middle East situation, President Trump will depart after dinner with world leaders tonight."

A European diplomat said that due to Trump's absence, it remains unclear whether any statement can be issued at this G7 Summit.

This article is an exclusive contribution from the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reproduced without permission.

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7516756040319369743/

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