G7 steps up efforts to break China's grip on critical minerals

WASHINGTON - Finance chiefs of the Group of Seven countries agreed Friday to step up cooperation with resource-rich countries and multilateral development banks, with the aim of becoming less dependent on China for critical minerals.

The finance ministers and senior officials of the group reached the agreement at a meeting in Washington, held with like-minded partners and mineral-producing countries, including Argentina, Australia, India, Indonesia, South Africa and South Korea, officials said.