The symbolism will be evident as leaders of the G-7 democracies meet in Hiroshima. Whose name conjures the sorrow of war to address many issues. Including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and escalating tensions in Asia.
The focus on the European battle comes just days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy returned from a hurried journey. See many of the G-7 leaders now travelling to Hiroshima, Japan, for the summit. Which begins on Friday. That journey was intended to increase his country’s military stockpile. And garner political support ahead of a much-anticipated counteroffensive to recover territory held by Moscow’s soldiers.
According to Matthew P. Goodman, senior vice president for economics at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. “Ukraine has driven this sense of common purpose” for the G-7.
He believes that the new commitments Zelenskyy obtained right before the conference could motivate members of the bloc to increase their support even more. “There’s a kind of peer pressure that develops in forums like this,” he said.
Bracing for the risk of another conflict in Asia
As relations with China deteriorate, G-7 leaders are bracing for the risk of another conflict in Asia. They are increasingly anxious, among other things, about Beijing’s growing assertiveness. And they fear that China may try to grab Taiwan by force, igniting a larger conflict. China claims the self-governing island as its own and deploys ships and warplanes close to it regularly.
During the summit in Hiroshima, the site of the world’s first atomic bombing, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida aims to emphasise the dangers of nuclear proliferation.
North Korea’s nuclear programme has heightened the prospect of another nuclear assault. A series of recent missile tests and Russia’s threats to use nuclear weapons in its fight in Ukraine. Meanwhile, according to Pentagon projections, China is aggressively building its nuclear arsenal, which is expected to grow from 400 warheads to 1,500 by 2035.
Concerns about the global economy’s strength, rising prices, and the US debt limit situation will preoccupy leaders.
G-7 finance ministers and central bank chiefs meeting before the summit agreed to impose sanctions on Russia. Combat growing inflation, strengthen financial institutions, and assist debt-burdened countries.
The United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, and Italy are all members of the G-7, as is the European Union.
This group is also focusing more on the requirements of the Global South, which includes largely developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and has invited countries ranging from South American powerhouse Brazil to the tiny Cook Islands in the South Pacific.
