IRIA News

G7 leaders gathered in Hiroshima with a unified vision to address global challenges. They expressed solidarity with Ukraine, emphasized disarmament efforts, and pledged to clean energy transition. They also called for “constructive” ties with China.

Leaders of the world’s richest democracies met for a three-day summit in the southern Japanese city of Hiroshima, from May 19 to May 21, 2023.

The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal bloc of leading industrialist democracies with no permanent headquarters, presidency, or international legal status. The bloc consists of Germany, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The group was founded by six of the seven countries in 1973 to counter the oil crisis. Canada joined the group in the coming year to make it G7. Russia also joined the group in 1998 to make it G8, however, it was expelled in 2014 after Moscow annexed Crimea.

Expanded guest list

The G7 summit was attended by more countries than its name suggests. Leaders from 16 different countries, as well as representatives from the European Union, participated in the event. Host of this year’s G7 Summit, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, made a lot of efforts in the run-up to the event for expanding the participants list.

Leaders of India, Brazil, Vietnam, South Korea, Australia, and Indonesia were also present during the meeting. The President of Comoros attended the G7 meeting to represent the African Union while the Prime Minister of Cook Islands was representing the Pacific Island Forum at the summit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also made an appearance at the event. 

Joint Statement

Leaders of all seven members arrived in Hiroshima to participate in the 49th G7 Summit. At the end of the three-day meeting, a joint statement was issued that puts a special emphasis on the ongoing situation in Ukraine, calling out Russia for its “illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.” The statement reaffirms that “support for Ukraine will not waver.” It added that “we will not tire in our commitment to mitigate the impact of Russia’s illegal actions on the rest of the world.”

After meeting in Hiroshima, the city of peace, we are moving forward together.

We agreed that:

Security in Europe and Asia is indivisible and UN principles must be upheld;

Climate action will be stepped up;

Partnerships should be win-win.

The @G7 is more united than ever. pic.twitter.com/UJ96Jf6OMg

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) May 21, 2023

United in their commitment, the G7 leaders reinforced efforts towards disarmament and non-proliferation and vowed to drive the transition to clean energy economies. They launched initiatives for resilient global food security, pledged substantial infrastructure financing, and affirmed their dedication to promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific, fostering economic recovery, advancing sustainable development goals, and addressing climate change. They also agreed to advance discussions on inclusive artificial intelligence (AI) governance and interoperability to achieve a common vision.

Sanctions against Russia 

The G7 leaders agreed on new economic sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Leaders of the G7 countries announced sanctions on at least 300 Russian officials, individuals, and businesses. The United States added its separate sanctions on at least 70 different companies from Russia and other countries that have ties with the Russian economy. 

“We remain united in imposing coordinated sanctions and other economic actions to further undermine Russia’s capacity to wage its illegal aggression,” the joint statement said. “To reduce the revenues that Russia extracts from the export of diamonds, we will continue to work closely together to restrict trade in and use of diamonds mined, processed, or produced in Russia and engage with key partners to ensure effective implementation of future coordinated restrictive measures, including through tracing technologies,” it added. 

Constructive Ties with China

G7 leaders called for “constructive and stable relations” with China and declared it does not seek to block the country’s development. “Our policy approaches are not designed to harm China nor do we seek to thwart China’s economic progress and development” the statement read.

A joint communique released by the G7 leaders calls for constructive engagement with China on matters related to the climate and biodiversity crisis as well as issues related to vulnerable countries’ debt sustainability and financing needs, global health, and macroeconomic stability. However, it also aimed at China’s regional territorial claims and human rights issues. “A growing China that plays by international rules would be of global interest”.

G7 also called on Beijing to play its role in the Russia-Ukraine war. “We call on China to press Russia to stop its military aggression, and immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine. We encourage China to support a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace based on territorial integrity and the principles and purposes of the UN Charter, including through its direct dialogue with Ukraine,” the joint communique said. 

China and Russia’s Reaction

Moscow and Beijing lashed out at the leaders of the G7 countries for targeting China and Russia during their annual summit. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called out the G7 for indulging in their “own greatness” with an agenda that aimed to “deter” Russia and China.

Beijing also reacted to the remarks by the G7 leaders and accused them of hindering “international peace”. A spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed strong dissatisfaction against the summit host Japan and the participant countries. He said that G7 had attacked and interfered in China’s internal affairs. 

Quad Meeting 

Benefitting from their presence in Hiroshima, The Quad leaders from the United States, Australia, Japan, and India held talks on the sidelines of the G7 summit. The Quad leaders were set to host a summit of their own in Sydney next week, but due to U.S. President Joe Biden’s last minutes trip cancellation, the meeting ended up happening in Hiroshima. 

“I deeply appreciate the flexibility of meeting me here at the G7 meeting,” Biden told Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during the meeting. “I truly apologize to you for having you come here, rather than me being in Australia right now.”

Despite being the host of the Quad meeting in Hiroshima, Kishida insisted Albanese to chair the Quad meeting. After discussions, the four leaders reached an agreement on issues related to the security of submarine cables, regional infrastructure, and joint engineering training. 

Zelenskyy’s speech 

After making a quick stop in Saudi Arabia for the Arab League’s summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Japan dressed in his trademark military-themed clothing to participate in the G7 summit on May 20, 2023. 

Zelenskyy delivered an emotional speech where he thanked the leaders of the G7 countries for their support of Ukraine. With Russia increasing aerial attacks on several Ukrainian regions, Zelenskyy lamented about the ongoing situation in his country as he underscores the pressing need to maintain Western unity in the face of Russian aggression.

G7, partners, Ukraine.

A busy day of diplomacy to bring 🇺🇦 victory closer.

During the day, I met with 🇨🇦 Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau, 🇮🇩 President @jokowi, 🇰🇷 President @President_KR, 🇺🇸 President @POTUS and 🇯🇵 Prime Minister @kishida230. I participated in the G7+Ukraine… pic.twitter.com/iQ9GU3mX0d

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 21, 2023