The Group of Seven has pledged to work together to counter economic coercion amid a “disturbing rise” in countries weaponising trade.

In a statement on economic security released on the second day of the G7 summit in Japan, the club of wealthy democracies said they would boost resilience “by reducing vulnerabilities and countering malign practices that exploit and reinforce them”.

Western officials have become increasingly vocal about China’s use of trade restrictions in political disputes, although the G7 statement released on Saturday afternoon did not mention the country by name.

“The world has encountered a disturbing rise in incidents of economic coercion that seek to exploit economic vulnerabilities and dependencies and undermine the foreign and domestic policies and positions of G7 members as well as partners around the world,” the G7 leaders said.