Asia overshadowed as G7 struggles with crises and lack of unity

Japan Times

4 hours ago

Discussions about the Indo-Pacific — specifically China — were largely overshadowed at this year's two-day Group of Seven leaders' summit in Canada, with the focus squarely on the Israel-Iran conflict, adding to fears of disengagement from the region.
While the meeting in the Canadian Rockies' resort area of Kananaskis in Alberta did offer the G7 a chance to further align on peripheral issues, the gathering yielded few concrete deliverables at a time of growing challenges to the rules-based order, raising doubts about the group's significance amid an increasingly cavernous divide between the U.S. and other members.
U.S. President Donald Trump's hasty departure on the summit's first day not only left the grouping without its top leader, it also resulted in a number of missed opportunities to both display unity and engage with allies and partners on key global and bilateral issues.
Meanwhile, mentions of China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific — a constant element of previous summits — were conspicuously absent from the statements that emerged from the meeting.
Speaking at a news conference after the summit, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that he had 'emphasized the importance of the G7's continued engagement in the region' and secured an agreement 'to work together on various issues related to China' and nuclear-armed North Korea.
'As the only G7 member in Asia, I shared Japan's position and efforts, including from the perspective of the Indo-Pacific region,' he said.
'Through two days of intensive discussions, we, the G7 leaders, were able to demonstrate our resolve to unite and work together to take the lead in addressing the various challenges facing the international community,' he added.
But the visible lack of any focus on the Indo-Pacific was viewed by some as a loss for Ishiba, alongside the lack of a Japan-U.S. trade framework announcement and the missed chance for his first trilateral talks with Trump and South Korea's new president, Lee Jae-myung.
'I think this is a setback for Ishiba, who would clearly have preferred to reach an agreement with the U.S. on settling the trade dispute before the Upper House elections to emphasize his government's competency in handling Trump on the foreign policy front,' said Sebastian Maslow, an associate professor who specializes in Japanese politics at the University of Tokyo.
'Since this hasn't happened, the public and the opposition will have ample opportunity to question his U.S. policy.'
An Upper House election is expected to be held July 20.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a news conference at the conclusion of the Group of Seven summit, in Calgary on Tuesday. |
AFP-JIJI
At the same time, the gathering was a missed opportunity to unite behind new strategies intended to counter Chinese assertiveness in the region.
'Any loss in U.S. capacity to strengthen its alliance network is a general foreign policy win for Beijing, which views the United States as committed to cooperating with allies and partners to 'contain' China's growth,' said Chase Blazek, an Asia-Pacific analyst at U.S.-based geopolitics and intelligence firm RANE.
It also became clear at the summit that other members of the group are struggling to fill the void left by Trump's absence, either individually or collectively.
Ishiba was likely always going to struggle to secure a concerted focus on the Indo-Pacific. While the presence at the summit of Lee, as well as the prime ministers of India and Australia might have helped, Trump's early departure meant he wasn't able to meet any of them, thus removing any chance of presenting a united front alongside Japan.
'The larger image is hard to shake — America is walking away from global leadership at a time when it is badly needed,' said Nick Bisley, dean and professor of international relations at Australia's La Trobe University.
'The cooperative approach that lies at the heart of multilateralism is entirely at odds with Trump's instincts and political persona,' he added.
To be fair, expectations for this G7 gathering were low to begin with.
Relations between Washington and its closest allies have taken a hit ever since Trump decided to launch his global campaign of unilateral tariffs. Many countries had hoped to reach a deal with Washington at the summit, but the only agreement signed was with Britain — and that was seen as a mere formality.
Further highlighting the low bar, Canada had announced prior to the summit that the grouping would not release a joint communique due to expected disagreements with the United States.
The disagreements became clear from the outset, when the U.S. president mused that Russia should again be part of the bloc and raised the possibility of China — which his administration calls the United States' top security priority — also joining the grouping.
Both suggestions are believed to have raised eyebrows among the G7's other members, especially after Moscow backed the remarks, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling reporters: "We agree with President Trump: It was a big mistake then to exclude Russia from the G8 format."
Ultimately, as Washington refused to back a call for de-escalation, G7 leaders were only able to reach a bare-minimum agreement on the Israel-Iran conflict, issuing a tersely worded joint statement in which they expressed support for Israel's 'right to defend itself' while labeling Iran a 'principal source of regional instability.'
Another pressing issue where Trump found himself at odds with other leaders was the conflict in Ukraine, with Canadian officials quoted as saying that plans to issue a strong statement on Russia's invasion were dropped after the U.S. sought to water down a draft document.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for a family photo during the Group of Seven summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, on Monday. |
POOL / VIA AFP-JIJI
In Trump's absence, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Tuesday with the remaining G7 leaders, who used the opportunity to double down on their support, including a promise by Canada of fresh financial sanctions and nearly $1.5 billion in new military assistance.
Ishiba also held his first in-person meeting with Zelenskyy, discussing defense-industrial cooperation, including investments in Ukraine's drone production, as well as continued support for reconstruction efforts.
The two sides also addressed Russia's collaboration with North Korea and Iran, including Moscow's upgrade of Iranian drones and the subsequent transfer of these enhanced models to Pyongyang.
This comes as European countries are pushing for more coordinated sanctions against Russia. Washington, however, has refused to join the push, with Trump saying that Europeans should "do it first" and that "sanctions cost us a lot of money."
'The G7 has historically seen itself as a group of developed democracies,' said Ian Chong, an associate professor and expert on international relations at the National University of Singapore. 'Trump's position suggests that he prioritizes being a big power over common political values.'
Meanwhile, conversations on the Indo-Pacific are likely to continue, Chong said, even if they do not have the higher profile of the crises that overshadowed the region at this meeting.
But some say the latest summit ultimately highlighted how the Trump administration is squandering hard-earned U.S. leverage for short-term gains.
'What we need from President Trump are commonsense aims,' said Patrick Cronin, an Asia-Pacific security expert with the Hudson Institute think tank.
Washington, he said, needs to be firmer with adversaries than allies, while also maintaining respect on the world stage and articulating what a 'credible' new international order looks like 'before dismantling the one that has served American interests for generations.'
'In the parlance of the current era, don't squander leverage without a clear strategy for achieving a better deal.'