G7 Communique Set to Send Message to Russia, China

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:13 JST, May 18, 2023

The G7 leaders’ communique to be adopted at their summit in Hiroshima this weekend will call for firmly maintaining and strengthening a free and open international order based on the rule of law and opposing any threat to use nuclear weapons, according to sources.

The world is currently confronted by the issues of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s intimidating behavior.

According to multiple Japanese government sources, a draft of the communique’s main points states the G7 strongly opposes any attempt to change the territorial status quo anywhere in the world. It also reaffirms the G7’s unbending solidarity in supporting Ukraine as much as necessary against Russia’s “illegal war of aggression.”

The draft communique calls for maintaining and strengthening nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation efforts toward the ultimate goal of a world without nuclear weapons, expressing opposition to any nuclear threat against international peace and security.

The G7 declares its support for a “free and open Indo-Pacific” at a time when China is continuing its aggressive maritime advances. In recognition of concerns about Beijing’s practice of offering huge loans that entice recipient nations into “debt traps” that China exploits to acquire rights to use ports and other facilities in the indebted nation, the draft communique emphasizes the urgency of dealing with the debt problems of vulnerable low- and middle-income nations. It further states the G7 will work together on this issue.

According to the sources, the draft communique also calls for bolstering ties with the emerging and developing countries collectively known as the Global South. Given that many of these nations have been hit hard by food shortages resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the draft communique suggests a plan to promote a Hiroshima action declaration that supports robust global food security.

The G7 Hiroshima Summit starts Friday and will wrap up Sunday with events including the adoption of the leaders’ communique.