G7 summit: Leaders talk China, Zelenskyy arrives in Japan

G7 leaders meeting in Japan agreed on Saturday to outline measures designed to reduce risks posed by China while maintaining economic ties with the Asian giant.

"The world has encountered a disturbing rise in incidents of economic coercion that seek to exploit economic vulnerabilities," the leaders said in a statement that seem to reference attempts by China to use its economic power in political disputes with Australia and Lithuania.

The statement said the initiative, dubbed Coordination Platform on Economic Coercion, will see members meeting regularly to share information and give early warnings on cases of such coercion.

G7 aims to 'de-risk, not decouple' from China 

According to the US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, G7 nations want to "de-risk, not decouple" from China in view of its status as the world's second-largest economy.

He said the G7 leaders would lay out measures including building more resilient supply chains and protecting sensitive technologies.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged that countries in the Global South be encouraged to cooperate economically with Western nations after making "bad experiences" with China.

She said many developing nations had joined China's Belt and Road investment project in the belief that it would aid their progress, but had ended up in debt.

Instead, she said,"We should offer win-win partnerships to emerging economies that are willing to work with us, adding: "But we have to be fast and we have to get concrete."

Investing in own 'economic vibrancy'

A final communique issued on the second day of the talks confirmed this approach.

"Our policy approaches are not designed to harm China nor do we seek to thwart China's economic progress and development," it said. 

"We are not decoupling or turning inwards. At the same time, we recognize that economic resilience requires de-risking and diversifying. We will take steps, individually and collectively, to invest in our own economic vibrancy. We will reduce excessive dependencies in our critical supply chains," it stated.

In the communique, the G7 leaders also said that they opposed China's "militarization" in the Asia-Pacific region.

It also called on Beijing "to press Russia to stop its military aggression, and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine."

Amid fears that Beijing could be planning to invade Taiwan, which it considers part of China, the leaders repeated that "peace and stability" in the Taiwan Strait was "indispensable" to global security.

On the eve of the summit, the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo issued a statement expressing concern that "negative" China-related moves might be discussed at the meeting.

On Saturday, China's embassy said that the Group of Seven summit had instigated what it called bloc politics and urged the group to stop creating confrontation and division. It also warned summit host Japan not to violate its good faith and seek to benefit at the expense of its neighbor.

Zelenskyy lands in Japan, talks with various leaders

The talks on China come a day after the leaders unveiled a package of new sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

The visit by Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy to the three-day meeting in Hiroshima will prompt further discussion of the conflict in Ukraine. 

"Japan. G7. Important meetings with partners and friends of Ukraine. Security and enhanced cooperation for our victory. Peace will become closer today," Zelenskyy said on Twitter after he arrived in Japan.

Besides addressing the summit in a bid to bolster support for his country, Zelenskyy met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has maintained ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and so far declined to condemn the illegitimate invasion. 

At their talks, Modi said India would "do whatever we can" to end the conflict in Ukraine, saying he "understood" the pain of Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian citizens.

Zelenskyy has also met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian leader Giorgia Meloni, both of whom have been outspoken in their support for Ukraine.

Then Ukrainian president met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz — for the second time in a week. "Good to see you, so we are meeting quite often," Scholz said to Zelenskyy. "Always a pleasure," Zelenskyy replied. The pair spoke for about 20 minutes. Scholz and Zelensky informally used each other's first names for the first time in public.

F-16s on the horizon?

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Zelenskyy and US President Joe Biden would also meet face-to-face at the summit. Biden told G7 leaders on Friday that Washington will back joint allied training programs for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters, planes that Kyiv consider crucial for beating back the Russian forces.

The Ukrainian leader is due to hold a session on Sunday with the G7 before a meeting with representatives of the Global South who are also attending the summit.

Zelenskyy's appearance in Hiroshima, the first city in the world to suffer a nuclear attack, comes as Russia continues to issue thinly veiled threats of a nuclear response to Western military support for Ukraine.

The G7, or Group of Seven, is composed of the world's richest democracies: Germany, Japan, France, Italy, the US, Britain and Canada, as well as the European Union.

tj/wd (Reuters, AFP, dpa, AP)