The leaders of the G7 countries arrive on Thursday in the Japanese city of Hiroshima, a city symbol of peace, to discuss the strengthening of sanctions against Russia and the protection against the “economic coercion” of China.
The Prime Minister of Poland, Fumio Kishida, must welcome the leaders of the six other industrialized democracies of the group of seven in this city marked by nuclear destruction in 1945, welcoming today many monuments for peace.
The leaders of the countries that are members of the G7 (United States, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada) will try to present a united front facing Russia and China, but also on other strategic issues concerning their intérêts ne sont pas toujours perfectly aligned.
Even before his arrival in Japan, American President Joe Biden faced a political crisis in America, which forced him to cancel the following stages of his tour in Asia-Pacific, Papua New Guinea and Australia. .
L’Ukraine va dominater les discuss
The invasion of Ukraine launched by Russia for 15 months will dominate the agenda of the summit, with “discussions on the state of the battlefield,” said American national security adviser Jake Sullivan. .
The United States and their allies have multiplied their arms shipments to Ukraine, including President Vladimir Zelensky, who is expected to participate in the video conference.
According to Jake Sullivan, the discussions should focus on the strengthening of sanctions against Moscow, which has caused a contraction of the Russian economy in the first quarter of 2023.
The official indicated that the leaders would discuss the fight against sanctions, which would allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to continue to finance his war effort.
Hiroshima nuclear threat martyr
The repeated threats of Vladimir Putin to transform the war in Ukraine into a nuclear conflict have been condemned without appeal by the leaders of the G7 and are considered by certain observers as an attempt to undermine the determination of Europeans and Americans.
The planned visit of the leaders to the Peace Memorial Park of Hiroshima should highlight these threats, where on August 6, 1945, the city was destroyed by the American atomic bomb, causing 140,000 victims.
Fumio Kishida, whose family is originally from Hiroshima and who is himself elected, wishes to take advantage of this summit to encourage his guests, notably the United Kingdom, France and the United States, who possess a group of thousands of ogives nucléaires, à s’engage à faire preuve de transparence sur leurs stocks et à réduire leurs arsenaux.
The numerous military and diplomatic chiefs, including six former chiefs of state, ont également exhorté Wednesday the nuclear powers to put tensions aside and to negotiate arms control measures.
Mais dans un contexte de tensions accrued avec d’autre puissances nucléaires que sont la Russie, la Corée du Nord et la Chine, les espoirs d’avancées dans ce domaine durant ce sommet du G7 sont maigres.
L’épineux problème de la China
The G7 should also devote a large part of its discussions to China, and in particular on ways to protect itself from a possible economic blackmail from Beijing, diversifying production and supply chains, while the Chinese government s ‘est montré disponible à resort à des entraves au commerce.
Pour Jake Sullivan, the leaders of the G7 should denounce this “economic coercion” and strive to overcome the transatlantic divergences on the position of acceptance in the face of China.
But the European countries, in particular France and Germany, want to ensure that the elimination of risks does not mean the rupture of ties with China, one of the largest markets in the world.
Ce n’est ” pas un G7 antichinois “, a insistedé l’Élysée en amont du sommet, en souhaitant ” un message positiv ” de cooperation ” à condition que nous négociions ensemble “.
Japan also invited eight third countries to Hiroshima, including major emerging economies like India and Brazil, in an attempt to rally some reticent leaders to oppose Russia’s war in Ukraine and growing military ambitions. de Beijing.