Photographer: Simon Dawson / Bloomberg
Photographer: Simon Dawson / Bloomberg
Boris Johnson’s plan to host an extended Group of Seven summit in June is worrying some other members who fear the UK is trying to reshape the rich nations forum through the back door.
The British Prime Minister invited South Korea, India and Australia as guests to this year’s meeting, while trying to establish the so-called D-10 coalition of democracies to fight China and other authoritarian states. Johnson wants to defend global action and democratic values and to project the United Kingdom as a force for good after leaving the European Union.
While it is standard practice for a G-7 host to invite more countries to the summit, the involvement of the invited nations is usually limited. According to a person familiar with Johnson’s plans, this will change this year with the three countries set to participate from the beginning, from preparatory meetings of leaders’ diplomatic emissaries early next month to ministerial meetings before the summit.
While diplomats are hoping to understand all the implications, there is some concern that Johnson’s D-10 is a step toward restructuring the G-7.
A diplomat said that a rival group is at risk of weakening the G-7, and this may eventually increase pressure on the G-7 to expand in order to regain its lost influence. Expansion is an idea that Italy, Germany, France and Japan oppose, according to officials familiar with the positions of these governments.
China risk
Two European diplomats have also warned that there is a risk that anti-China rhetoric will fuel a Cold War-style stalemate with Beijing, which both said the G-7 should avoid after repelling Donald Trump’s attempts to do the same.
A diplomat said there would be doubts within the group as to whether an idea of the United Kingdom established for domestic reasons would have any staying power. The UK government did not respond to a request for comment.
The issue of expanding the G-7 hits the heart of the questions about the forum’s future and where members’ strategic interests reside, especially in China.
This year’s summit is a chance to mend ties after years of fragmentation in the Trump era. The president of the United States who is leaving office has refused to sign the end of the summit in Canada in 2018, while last year’s meeting – which Trump was supposed to host – never happened.
Johnson intends to put issues like climate change – so undermined by Trump – at the center of this year’s summit, along with trade, health, the press and religious freedoms and human rights.
Reinsurance
According to diplomats, the other six members of the club welcome these aspirations and also want to cooperate in post-pandemic recovery.
The United Kingdom has also assured members that it has no plans to propose changes to the G-7 format and that it will remain distinct from the broader group of democracies, according to three diplomats familiar with the matter. This did not completely allay the concerns of G-7 members.
One of the diplomats said that although there is no immediate prospect of extending the group, once institutionalized, the D-10 could compete with the G-7 for relevance. Another said the UK should consult closely with G-7 members about its plans for the D-10 coalition.
Another official said that some of these concerns are shared, but that the extent of the guests’ role is unclear and that the three countries would not participate in all the preparatory work. The same official also pointed out that expanding the G-7 would require unanimity, which makes it unlikely in the near future.
Trump Effect
The debate on reformatting the G-7 is not new, and the idea of expansion was floated by Trump last year. In addition to Australia, South Korea and India, he proposed inviting Russia again, which was expelled after the annexation of Crimea.
President-elect Joe Biden has not indicated his position on the matter, but he said he wants to convene a summit of democracies as soon as he takes office.
Prominent voices on both sides of the Atlantic continue to press for the Group of Seven to open its doors to new members.
Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the defense committee of the House of Commons, said this month, an expanded G-7, including Australia, India and South Korea “can begin to tackle and reverse the decline in global stability, democratic values and the rule of law”.
Sensitive
Johnson’s agenda has potential points of conflict in addition to the expansion debate. South Korea’s participation is foreign to Japan, given renewed tensions arising from its colonial rule of 1910-1945 over the Korean Peninsula.
Diplomats from the UK and Europe also point to geopolitical differences. A British diplomat said that, having left the EU, it makes economic sense to improve ties with the Asia-Pacific nations, including those of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with whom the United Kingdom is seeking partnership status. and that he should also be invited to the summit of G-7 leaders.
It must also be seen in the context of a more robust approach towards China compared to that of the EU, the diplomat said. Since breaking away from the bloc’s trade policy, Britain has been speaking more openly in China and Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, the EU has faced criticism, including from the next Biden government, for reaching a trade agreement with Beijing. Officials in Brussels and some European capitals argue that trade should be kept separate from issues that can be addressed with the use of other tools, such as sanctions.
Two European diplomats said the narrow focus on the Asia-Pacific region relegates areas of strategic interest to Europe, including Africa, and ignores regions such as Latin America.