The United States’ closest allies attacked the Trump administration for imposing tariffs on steel and aluminium imports and mounted challenges with the world’s top trade body, fouling the mood at a G7 finance leaders meeting.
US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin was the prime target of the criticism at the meeting of Group of Seven finance ministers and central bank governors in Canada, with the six other G7 member countries subject to the US metals tariffs, which were imposed on national security grounds.
It was visible to anyone in the meeting to see how the US ended in complete isolation during the meeting held in Canada and the G7 Finance ministers urged US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to speak to the White House about their “unanimous concern and disappointments” regarding the tariffs.
Canadian finance minister Bill Morneau told reporters,”the Americans have decided, in our mind, to take actions that’s not at all constructive, it’s actually destructive to our ability to get things done around tariffs on steel and aluminum.”
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Saturday reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to the Group of Seven advanced economies, downplaying the discord that upended the agenda for talks at a ministerial meeting this week.
Mnuchin’s remarks came moments after Canadian, German and French ministers denounced US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose punishing steel and aluminum tariffs this week, describing frustration with a perceived attack on longstanding allies.
“These are our most important allies or some of our most important allies. We’ve had long-standing relationships with all these countries that are very important across all different aspects,” Mnuchin told reporters at the meeting’s close.
“I believe there was a comment out there that this was the G6 plus one. It was not. This was the G7. We believe in the G7.”
Canada was hosting the meeting with his G7 counterparts in the mountain resort town of Whistler, British Columbia.
