British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will welcome leaders from the Group of Seven countries (G7) -some of the world’s richest democracies- in Carbis Bay, near St Ives, in Cornwall today.
The UK holds the rotating presidency so has responsibility for hosting the 47th G7 summit, which will take place until Sunday. It is the seventh time the UK has hosted the G7 (the first was hosted in London in 1977), with Germany set to host next year.
The leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States will be in attendance.The European Union will be represented by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and Council president Charles Michel. Australia’s prime minister Scott Morrison, South Korean president Moon Jae-in and South African president Cyril Ramaphosa will all attend as guests, while India’s Narendra Modi will participate via video link.
It is Joe Biden’s first overseas visit as US President and recharging transatlantic relationships is crucial for him. The White House said they expect G7 leaders to announce a new initiative to provide financing for physical, digital and health infrastructure in the developing world as an alternative to the “belt and road” measures offered by China.
The G7 countries are facing fragile balances on a number of global issues, and are called upon to make important decisions in an effort to secure Western hegemony on the world stage.
What’s on the G7 summit agenda
-Friday: The G7 leaders will hold a discussion on “building back better” from Covid-19. The Session will be dedicated to the economic recovery with a focus on addressing regional, social and gender inequalities.
-Saturday: A session will be focused on resilience and will touch upon key geopolitical challenges, trade and development then in the afternoon the discussion moves to foreign policy while another session will cover health, in terms of both response to COVID-19 and long-term preparedness.
-Sunday: A session about the common values shared by G7 members and the invited guest countries, ollowed by another which focusses on climate change.
At the end of the summit, the leaders are expected to adopt a leaders’ communiqué. The G7 wealthy economies amount to $40 trillion, around half of global gross domestic product.
Security will be tight n total, 6,500 officers and staff will be deployed in the operation according to reports.
Anxious to see what emerges from the seaside meeting?
UPDATE 13/06/2021
Heads of states and governments from the G7 countries ended the three-day summit on Sunday (June 13) promising to end the coronavirus and combat climate change in a joint communique. They also sought to show that international cooperation is back.
The G7 communique also said: “With regard to China, and competition in the global economy, we will continue to consult on collective approaches to challenging non-market policies and practices which undermine the fair and transparent operation of the global economy.”
A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in London said: “The days when global decisions were dictated by a small group of countries are long gone”. “We always believe that countries, big or small, strong or weak, poor or rich, are equals, and that world affairs should be handled through consultation by all countries”.
With reporting by Reuters, BBC, Sputnik News, Al Jazeera
