WASHINGTON, June 9 (Reuters) - The United States and five of its allies on Friday condemned the use of trade practices that amount to economic coercion in a joint declaration that did not single out other countries but appeared to be aimed at China.
Australia, Britain, Canada, Japan, and New Zealand jointly released the statement with the United States, emphasizing that "trade-related economic coercion and non-market-oriented policies and practices" threatened the multi-lateral trading system and "harms relations between countries."
The United States, Britain, Japan and Canada are also members of the G7.
In May, Beijing protested the G7's declarations, including on economic coercion, saying the U.S. was "pushing hard to weave an anti-China net in the Western world."
"We are also seriously concerned about the use of forced labour, including state-sponsored forced labour, in global supply chains.
Persons:
Jeff Mason, Dan Whitcomb, Sonali Paul
Organizations:
New, Seven, Washington, U.S . Trade, Thomson
Locations:
United States, China, Australia, Britain, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Beijing, Lithuania, Taiwan, U.S