2023-05-20 09:50:56
In view of the growing competition with authoritarian states such as Russia and China, the G7 heads of state and government are moving closer together. At their three-day summit in Hiroshima, Japan, on Saturday, they decided to reduce their economies’ dependencies, promote new technologies and ward off political pressure. In addition, Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskyj arrived in Hiroshima and is due to join the talks on Sunday.
The seven leading Western industrialized countries also set new goals for climate protection and called for the regulation of artificial intelligence, as the summit declaration shows. Ukraine is also promised continued support in the defensive struggle once morest the Russian war of aggression. New sanctions once morest Russia were announced on Friday.
On Saturday, the focus was on consultations with host countries such as India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Brazil. It was also regarding a new course for the G7 in dealing with China. According to participants, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the G7 countries had more to offer emerging and developing countries than China and Russia. “Many countries in the Global South have had bad experiences with China. They took out Chinese loans and got into a debt crisis,” she said. “All Russia has to offer these countries are guns and mercenaries.”
According to the decision, the most important western industrialized countries want to pursue a two-part course towards China: in addition to the commitment to cooperation, the 40-page summit declaration contains clear warnings regarding the human rights situation, unfair competition and tensions over Taiwan.
The readiness for a “constructive and stable relationship” is expressly emphasized. “We act out of our national interest,” it says. “Given the role in the international community and the size of the economy, there is a need to cooperate with China,” emphasized the G7. Climate and health protection and the stabilization of the global economy are mentioned as areas of cooperation. “Our policy approach is not to harm China. We don’t want to hinder China’s economic progress and development,” it is expressly emphasized.
In the weeks leading up to the summit, there had been discussions because the US wanted to use tougher language once morest China. No decoupling is planned, it is now emphasized – but at the same time the G7 point out that they are not gullible. “We recognize that economic resilience requires de-risking and diversification.” Above all, the aim is to reduce the excessive dependence on China in important supply chains, referring to raw materials, for example. During the deliberations, a passage that provided for an investment review was defused. Now it just says, “We also recognize the need to protect certain advanced technologies that might threaten our national security without unduly restricting trade and investment.”
However, the draft also contains warning messages to the leadership in Beijing: They insist on equal conditions in economic cooperation and will fight illegal technology transfer. “We will strengthen the power to resist economic coercion,” it said in relation to the accusation that China is also exerting political pressure on economic dependencies. In an additional statement, it is emphasized that it is a concern that individual states are using economic dependencies for political pressure.
At the same time, the G7 countries expressed concern regarding regional tensions in East and Southeast Asia. Nothing has changed in the G7 position that there can only be a peaceful solution between China and Taiwan, which the leadership in Beijing regards as a breakaway province. The statement also raised concerns regarding the human rights situation in Tibet and the Xinjiang region and insisted on freedoms and autonomy for the former British Crown Colony and now Hong Kong SAR. China is also urged to persuade Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The People’s Republic is “encouraged” to support comprehensive peace initiatives that respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy wants to first seek further aid from the G7 countries and then also from host countries such as India, which have so far been neutral in the war with Russia. In the past few days he had already visited several European capitals and then the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia. From there Selenskyj was flown to Hiroshima on a French government plane. The first bilateral talks were already scheduled for Saturday, and he met British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, among others. A bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden was also planned.
Selenskyj was originally supposed to be connected to the G7 summit on Sunday via video. He traveled to Hiroshima following the US first expressed its openness to supplying Western F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine on Friday.
It is the first time Zelenskyy has traveled to Japan since the Russian attack began on February 24 last year. The G7 group includes the USA, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and Canada as well as the European Union. Selenskyj had recently traveled through the European G7 countries and had solicited further support during visits to Rome, Berlin, Paris and London.
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