G7 at trade war with China, Pope speaks about AI

Pope Francis spoke about the pros and cons of artificial intelligence during a historic appearance at the G7 summit on Friday, where leaders also pledged to tackle harmful business practices by China.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the host of the summit, invited world leaders and government leaders including the Pope, the Indian prime minister and the king of Jordan to show that the G7 is not an isolated, exclusive club.

“We will never accept the argument that it's a 'conflict between the West and the rest of the world,'” Meloni said at Friday's meeting.

The pope, who arrived in a wheelchair and was warmly received by leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden and Argentine President Javier Milley, acknowledged the conflicting feelings around AI, saying it had the potential to generate excitement and widen access to knowledge.

“But at the same time, it could lead to greater inequality between developed and developing countries, or between the ruling classes and the oppressed classes,” the 87-year-old said.

The core G7 members — the United States, Italy, Britain, France, Germany, Japan and Canada — have so far focused on China's economic power and market imbalances in areas such as electric vehicles, steel and renewable energy.

A leaders' statement released on Friday night stressed that the G7 was not seeking to harm China or impede its economic development, but would “continue to act to protect our companies from unfair practices, level the playing field, and redress ongoing harm.”

The G7 also warned of action against Chinese financial institutions that helped Russia acquire weapons for its war against Ukraine.

Washington this week imposed new sanctions on Chinese companies that supply semiconductors to Russia, concerned about China's increasingly assertive stance on Taiwan and a dispute with the Philippines over maritime claims.

The leaders also discussed migration, with Meloni urging Europe to cooperate in curbing illegal migration from Africa and setting out a major plan to boost the continent's development and tackle the root causes of migration.

They agreed to cooperate more in investigating trafficking networks and seizing their assets, and to set up an anti-trafficking coalition.

“Illegal immigration is now a global emergency,” said British Chancellor Rishi Sunak. “We all agree that it is sovereign nations that control their borders, not criminal organisations.”

Mr Sunak said it was the first time that immigration had been discussed at a G7 summit and hailed it as a sign of progress.

“Obviously, these things don't happen overnight,” he said, “but the conversations have been very productive and I'm confident they will make a difference.”

On the first day of their meetings in southern Italy, G7 nations reached an agreement in principle to provide Ukraine with a $50 billion loan backed by interest on frozen Russian assets, hailed the deal as a powerful signal of Western resolve.

In their summit statement, G7 leaders said they wanted to impose further costs on Russia for its aggression in Ukraine and also promised sanctions against entities that helped Russia circumvent oil trade restrictions through illicit shipments.

But Meloni, who leads a right-wing government, ran into trouble over his handling of sensitive social issues in a statement summarizing the G7's activities.

The G7 leaders made no direct mention of abortion in their final statement, and Italy refused to bow to pressure from France to include the word “abortion.” The draft also drew criticism for being less supportive of LGBTQ rights than a statement issued at the previous summit in Japan.

Italy said this was not a major diplomatic flurry and insisted the G7 had not changed its position on either issue.

Biden and many of the other leaders were due to leave Italy later on Friday, with bilateral talks between the remaining leaders due to take place on Saturday ahead of Meloni's final news conference.