Students make a "Trojan Horse" model to protest against the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Brindisi, Italy, June 13, 2024. /Xinhua
Editor's note: Bradley Blankenship, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a Prague-based American journalist, political analyst, and freelance reporter. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
As the world grapples with a slew of unresolved issues, the G7 nations convened once again, this time in Italy, from June 13 to 15. The agenda was dominated by geopolitical confrontations, particularly involving China and Russia, underscoring the G7's role in advancing U.S. geopolitical strategies.
The G7 has shifted from a multilateral body that once stabilized the global economy into a tool for the West, particularly the U.S., to maintain and consolidate dominance in economic, political, and security realms through various improper means. It has become a geopolitical weapon serving U.S. strategic goals.
A significant focus of this year's summit, as reported by Reuters, was whether G7 leaders could agree on using frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine. Now, the answer to that is positive, as G7 has made its decision to support Ukraine with frozen Russian assets to pay off the annual interest on a $50 billion loan. Additionally, the U.S. pushed its Western allies to include concerns about China's industrial overcapacity in the final communiqué, a move reported by Al Jazeera and reflecting Washington's influence over the bloc's agenda.
Chinese experts predicted that under U.S. leadership, the G7 would indeed address China's industrial capacity in the final statement. In fact, China was mentioned 29 times. Such actions could negatively impact global trade relations, revealing the G7 prioritizes geopolitical maneuvering over the global economy's recovery.
The U.S. dominated the entire summit's agenda to align with U.S. President Joe Biden's election interests. This involves binding Europe to the Ukraine issue and curtailing China's production capacity to garner local votes. In a sense, this G7 summit can be seen as an expanded summit of the U.S. National Security Council.
While the summit's first session, focusing on "Africa, climate change, and development," ostensibly emphasized serious global threats, the G7's actions towards China's green industry expose its hypocrisy. Addressing climate change effectively requires genuine alternatives to traditional energy sources. Yet, the EU's announcement of additional tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, following Biden's quadrupling of tariffs, suggests a strategic suppression of China's advancements in green technology.
Furthermore, according to Reuters, U.S. officials expected the G7 to issue a stern warning to smaller Chinese banks to cease aiding Russia in evading sanctions. This further demonstrates the G7's reduction to a tool for U.S. geopolitical struggles. The West stigmatizes normal economic exchanges between China and Russia, forcing countries to take sides and exacerbating global confrontation, highlighting the G7's narrow-mindedness.
Leaders of the G7 are seen at Borgo Egnazia, near the town of Fasano in Apulia Region, Italy, June 13, 2024. /Xinhua
Despite its claim to tackle major global issues, the G7 now appears as a political clique focused on suppressing other countries and engaging in bloc confrontation. Its persistent attacks on China reflect a shift from problem-solving to being part of the problem.
Reuters noted the somber mood among G7 leaders, who face pressing global issues like the Russia-Ukraine conflict and various domestic predicaments. Ideally, this summit should steer the world towards stability and unity, fostering cohesion within the leaders' own countries. However, if Western nations continue to follow the U.S. in containing China and Russia, they risk exacerbating their domestic crises and making international conflicts harder to resolve.
Experts believe that this summit, under these conditions, will struggle to produce significant results and may instead yield more destructive outcomes. It will make the G7 more divisive, destructive, and confrontational in global affairs, further highlighting its role as a tool and vassal of U.S. geopolitics.
In sum, in the wake of the latest G7 summit, the world is watching to see whether it will address global challenges constructively or remain ensnared in the geopolitical machinations of its most dominant member.
The G7's current trajectory risks undermining its legitimacy and effectiveness. Prioritizing geopolitical confrontations over collaborative solutions not only fails to address the world's most pressing issues but also exacerbates existing tensions. The path forward requires a genuine commitment to multilateralism and a departure from the narrow geopolitical agendas currently dominating the G7's proceedings. Only then can the G7 hope to reclaim its role as a stabilizing force in global affairs, fostering peace, prosperity, and progress for all.
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