G7 meets in Hiroshima amid war in Ukraine and economic standoff with China

US President Joe Biden (L) is hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (R) ahead of their bilateral meeting in Hiroshima on May 18, 2023, ahead of the G7 Leaders' Summit. AFP - KIYOSHI OTA

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The leaders of the G7 countries are meeting this Friday, May 19 in the Japanese city of Hiroshima for a summit of the organization. In particular, they are expected to discuss strengthening sanctions against Russia and protecting against China's "economic coercion".

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The objective of this summit? Present a united front against Russia and China. From Friday to Sunday, the agenda of the discussions between the leaders of the G7 member countries (United States, Japan, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Canada) will be, not surprisingly, Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to participate in the summit by videoconference and "discussions on the state of the battlefield" are expected, said US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

According to him, the issue of strengthening sanctions against Russia must also be addressed by member countries. The official said the leaders would discuss fighting sanctions evasion, which allows Russian President Vladimir Putin to continue funding his war effort.

► Read also: In the News: the war in Ukraine and the new nuclear threats on the menu of the G7 in Hiroshima

Nuclear

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida receives his guests in Hiroshima, a place steeped in history. On August 6, 1945, the city was wiped out by the American atomic bomb, killing 140,000 people. He intends to take this opportunity to discuss nuclear disarmament. Fumio Kishida, whose family is originally from Hiroshima and who is himself elected there, wants to encourage his guests, including the United Kingdom, France and the United States, which together possess thousands of nuclear warheads, to commit to transparency about their stockpiles and reduce their arsenals.

However, hopes for progress in this area are slim in view of heightened tensions with Russia, North Korea and China, all other nuclear powers. On the Russian side, there have been many sensational statements threatening the use of nuclear weapons.

This is "not an anti-China G7".

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Economically speaking, it is on the Chinese issue that the G7 countries will have to agree, and in particular on how to protect themselves from possible economic blackmail by Beijing. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said G7 leaders should denounce this "economic coercion" and work to overcome transatlantic differences over the position to adopt vis-à-vis China.

But for Europeans, especially France and Germany, eliminating risks does not mean severing ties with China, one of the world's largest markets. It is "not an anti-Chinese G7", insisted the Elysée ahead of the summit, hoping for "a positive message" of cooperation "provided that we negotiate together". Eight countries, including India and Brazil, are also invited. The aim is to rally some of these leaders to oppose the war in Ukraine and Beijing's growing ambitions.

(

With AFP)

Anti-G7 demonstration of Japanese Marxists

There are only about thirty of them, but you can only hear them on the esplanade of the Peace Memorial. Far-left students with an average age of 25, placards and megaphones in hand, demonstrate against the summit, which begins Friday. "Don't be fooled," Matsumoto told RFI. "Stopping the war in Ukraine is not at all the ambition of the G7 leaders. That's all a huge lie. They want a new Cold War. Look, they spend their time delivering weapons and tanks to Ukraine. All they want is for it to continue," he adds.

Fueling war to keep the peace doesn't make sense, these activists shout. Moreover, according to them, there is much simpler and less dangerous to stop the conflict: "It is enough for the railway workers to stop work, to sabotage the deliveries of weapons or food to Russia, to go on strike and for all the workers concerned to join them. If everyone does it, it can't continue."

The height of indecency, concludes Ayano Matsumoto, lies with the Japanese government, which chose to organize the summit here in Hiroshima. Mecca of peace in Japan since 140,000 people died following the dropping of an American atomic bomb on the city in 1945.

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  • Ukraine
  • G7
  • Japan
  • Russia
  • China
  • Economy
  • Diplomacy