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More sanctions on Russia and the challenge of China, exclusive issues of the G7 summit

More sanctions on Russia and the challenge of China, exclusive issues of the G7 summit

Hiroshima – The leaders of the Group of Seven major industrial countries (G7) began today in Hiroshima, Japan, a crucial summit at a delicate international moment, given the competition between the United States and China, a country that is accused of exerting ” economic coercion”, and the persistence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, received the other six invited rulers in Hiroshima, a city symbol of nuclear destruction.

The G7 is made up of the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada.

At the summit, the leaders will try to forge a united front against Russia through the establishment of new sanctions and against China. In addition, they will address other urgent issues, on which no consensus appears at the moment.

The European Union (EU) will also participate in the event and Japan also invited India, Brazil and Indonesia, among other countries, seeking to get closer to the developing world, where China gains influence based on large investments.

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, arrived in Hiroshima yesterday and became the second president of his country, after Barack Obama, to visit this city devastated by an atomic bomb dropped by Washington in 1945.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a top issue at the summit, at a time when Kiev has suffered from bombing and after months of fierce fighting in Bakhmut in the east and other frontline cities.

“We uphold shared values ​​including supporting the people of Ukraine, who are defending their territorial sovereignty and fighting to hold Russia accountable for its brutal aggression,” Biden said when meeting with Kishida.

The United States and its allies have sent weapons to Ukraine to shore up its defenses, but the start of the announced kyiv counter-offensive is still awaited.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to address the group via videoconference.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the rulers will seek to tighten sanctions against Russia, which according to official figures caused a 1.9% contraction in that country’s economy in the first quarter.

The head of the German government, Olaf Scholz, told the press that the challenge is to prevent sanctions from being circumvented. “I think this issue is going to be resolved very well and in a very pragmatic way,” he said.

For his part, an EU official reported that a blockade against the export of Russian diamonds will be discussed, a trade that totaled 5,000 million dollars in 2021.

Limitation

Biden arrives in the midst of a dispute over the US debt ceiling, which if not resolved before June would generate an unprecedented default on US sovereign debt, an event that would have severe global repercussions.

These internal problems hampered Biden’s efforts to launch a diplomatic campaign in Asia and the Pacific, and the president was forced to cancel two legs of his tour, in Papua New Guinea and Australia.

The China talks are expected to focus on efforts to protect the G7 economies through diversifying supply chains and markets.

In his disputes with countries like Australia and Canada, Chinese President Xi Jinping has been willing to block or stop trade and levy duties on short notice and without explanation.

Sullivan noted that the rulers plan to condemn this “economic coercion” and work to iron out their differences over how to engage with China.

The United States took an aggressive stance by blocking China’s access to the most advanced semiconductors.

But the Europeans, especially Germany and France, want to ensure that these moves do not mean cutting ties with China, one of the world’s biggest markets.

For its part, China received yesterday in Xian the rulers of five Central Asian countries, formerly in the orbit of Moscow, but now closer to Beijing.

Meanwhile, Putin’s repeated threats to use nuclear weapons have been condemned by the G7 and dismissed by some analysts, who believe they are aimed at undermining international support for Ukraine.

The leaders’ visit to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park today could highlight this threat, as the site is a reminder of the nuclear bomb dropped on the city in 1945, which killed nearly 140,000 people.

Kishida wants to take advantage of his guests – especially the United Kingdom, France and the United States – to commit to transparency about their arsenals and an effort to reduce them. However, expectations are low, at a time of tension with nuclear powers such as Russia, North Korea and China.

Source: Ambito

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