China and Russia — the two major powers not among the Group of Seven industrialized nations — were among the topics that were a major focus of discussions at the annual summit of G-7 leaders that wrapped up early this week in the Bavarian Alps. In their final statement at the end of the two-day meeting, the G-7 leaders managed to create the appearance of a united front in warning against China's aggressive posture in its maritime territorial row in the South China Sea and in linking economic sanctions on Russia to the fate of the shaky ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.
How much leverage the G-7 has on these issues is far from clear, however. The group's influence on international economic and security affairs has been declining in relative terms over the years, and it remains to be seen if the message adopted at their annual gathering will make much of a difference in deterring China's maritime assertiveness and Russia's involvement in the Ukraine crisis.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — as the likely host of next year's G-7 summit that will be held in Shima, Mie Prefecture — is said to have taken the lead in including in the leaders' declaration some tough rhetoric against China's massive land reclamation activities in disputed areas of the South China Sea. Expressing their commitment to "maintaining a rules-based order in the maritime domain based on the principles of international law," the G-7 statement said the participants "are concerned by tensions in the East and South China Seas" and "strongly oppose the use of intimidation, coercion or force, as well as any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo, such as large-scale land reclamation."