When leaders from the Group of Seven nations gather for a three-day summit in Hiroshima later this month, they will be joined by a unique contingent of eight other leaders for an exercise in global diplomacy.
While Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s decision to invite these countries — including India, South Korea, Brazil and Australia — will see G7 leaders discuss pressing international issues such as climate change and food security, other goals will also be at play: namely pushing back against Russia and China.
The G7 nations have become increasingly aware of the need to step up cooperation with emerging and developing countries, to forge a united international front on issues such as Beijing’s rising assertiveness and Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.