Japanese media: "G7 unlikely to issue joint statement at this year's summit... Trump's fault"
Summary
- Japanese media reported that the Group of Seven (G7) is unlikely to issue a joint statement at this year's summit.
- They stated that major reasons behind the lack of a joint statement include the Trump administration's tariff policy and differences in perception among the member countries.
- It was reported that the summit will discuss future growth sectors such as the mineral supply chain and artificial intelligence (AI).
The Group of Seven (G7), which includes Japan, is not expected to issue a joint statement at this year's summit. This will be the first time since 2014 that a G7 joint statement has not been released. It is analyzed that the Trump administration, which moved away from the founding spirit of G7 multilateralism through measures such as mutual tariffs, had a significant influence.
The Asahi Shimbun and The Mainichi Shimbun reported on the 10th, citing Japanese government officials, that the Group of Seven (G7) is coordinating not to issue a joint statement at the summit to be held from the 15th to the 17th in Alberta, Canada.
According to the report, the G7 has not even begun preparations to release a joint statement. The G7 is a consultative body composed of the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada. At one time, Russia was included, forming a G8 system.
The Asahi reported that since 2014, when Russia was expelled due to the forced annexation of Crimea and the G7 structure was reinstated, there has not been a year without a summit statement.
Japanese media interpreted the decisive reason for withholding the joint statement at this summit as the differences in perception between U.S. President Donald Trump and other member countries. The Mainichi explained that "there is an intention to avoid exposing rifts between the United States and other countries over the Trump administration's tariff measures and responses to the Ukraine war."
The report continued, "President Trump has always kept his distance from multilateral cooperation frameworks," and added, "During his first administration, joint summit statements were not withheld, but there were also scenes in which he clashed with other leaders over expressions related to free trade."
At this summit, the G7 leaders are expected to discuss strengthening supply chains for critical minerals, economic growth utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum technology, and to issue documents containing sector-specific achievements.
Park Soo-bin, Hankyung.com reporter waterbean@hankyung.com
Korea Economic Daily
hankyung@bloomingbit.ioThe Korea Economic Daily Global is a digital media where latest news on Korean companies, industries, and financial markets.
