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Opinion | On G7’s long and ambitious summit agenda, all roads lead to China
- The first order of business will be the use of symbolism and carefully framed statements to underscore G7 unity on Beijing
- Whether it’s peace in Ukraine, Iran and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, climate change or the Indo-Pacific, few topics will steer clear of China
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China will be the elephant in the room when leaders of the industrialised democracies known as the Group of Seven meet in Hiroshima from May 19-21 for a summit. From the war in Ukraine and arms build-up in North Korea to climate change mitigation and trade tensions, all roads lead to China.
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Much of the communique, and news generated by discussions on the summit’s sidelines, will sound familiar, telegraphed by preparatory meetings. But there are also likely to be new moves.
These include shifts in thinking about Beijing’s role in peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Outlines will be seen of policies to address emerging concerns over digital technologies.
There will be uneasiness, too, over the global economic fallout if there’s no agreement to raise the US debt ceiling before the G7 summit starts. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says a default could happen “as early June 1”.
Whatever the summit outcomes, they will underscore how the G7’s interests have widened since 1975 when six countries attended the first summit at Chateau de Rambouillet at the initiative of France and Germany.
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Then, the global economy was reeling from an embargo by Arab countries in retaliation against US military support for Israel. The Bretton Woods fixed exchange rate system had collapsed.
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