G7 trade talks target critical minerals as U.S.-EU tariff rift strains unity

Prime Minister Mark Carney walks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to a session at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alta. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Group of Seven trade ministers meeting in Paris on Wednesday sought common ground on securing critical mineral supplies that are dominated by China, but fresh U.S. tariff threats against European Union-made cars risked straining unity.

France wants critical minerals supplies to be among the most concrete deliverables during its G7 presidency as ministers prepare for a leaders’ summit in mid-June, Foreign Trade Minister Nicolas Forissier said as he arrived for talks.

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“I believe we will make very concrete progress on rare earths and critical minerals, securing our supply chains and ensuring we are not held hostage by certain countries,” he said.

Officials involved in the discussions said there was broad agreement on the need to reduce reliance on China, but significant differences remained about how to do so.

G7 unity is also being tested by comments from U.S. President Donald Trump, who said Washington would raise tariffs on EU-made cars to 25 per cent from 15 per cent, arguing that Brussels was not complying with a trade deal that was agreed upon in Turnberry, Scotland, last year.

German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche said that she was in intensive talks with U.S. officials over the tariffs. Germany’s export-dependent automotive sector has already been under strain from weakening demand in China, slower global growth and higher input and labor costs.

EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said he and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer had discussed the Turnberry agreement at a meeting in Paris on Tuesday and that he would be heading to the European Parliament, where negotiations on EU legislation related to the trade deal will take place later on Wednesday.

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“We both clearly concluded that it’s important to respect the deal from Turnberry from both sides, so we have to deliver on what was promised in Scotland,” Sefcovic said.

The trade ministers are also expected to discuss industrial overcapacity - China being the main source - and reform of the World Trade Organization, Forissier said.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft, Makini Brice and Leigh Thomas in Paris and Kirsti Knolle in Berlin; Editing by David Goodman, Alexandra Hudson)