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The G7 was stronger in values ​​than hard money

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Joe Biden has not missed a chance to announce his election as US President. “America is back”. The underlying message of the recently concluded G7 summit in Cornwall could be summed up as a “return to the west”. The goal of the gathered leaders was to show unity, purpose and leadership in tackling the problems of the world and to reach out to the wider world.

This was the summit of the G7 nations – the US, Japan, the UK, France, Germany, Canada and Italy – since the pandemic erupted and the defeat of Donald Trump. But, while the leaders gathered in Cornwall showed it numerous ambitions, the summit leaves big questions as to whether the G7’s delivery will match its rhetoric.

This delivery question focuses on many important issues addressed by the G7, including vaccines, the climate, and the effort to promote international infrastructure against the China Belt and Road Initiative.

On vaccines, the G7 has it ordered to deliver a billion doses to the developing world within a year. But this spectacular number that he hears will still be few and far between too late. If the World Health Organization has it he said the world needs 11 billion doses of vaccine to effectively fight Covid-19. And the spread, which can last 18 months, will mean much more deaths – and will create a lot of time to develop new strains of the vaccine virus.

Competition with China was the subject of much of the G7 summit. It is likely that the Chinese government will commit a larger number of vaccines worldwide than the G7. However, doubts efficiency He can say that it is a mixed blessing of Chinese vaccines.

The G7’s decision to oppose China’s growing global influence revealed that the group was supporting the western alternative to the China Belt and Road Initiative to build developing infrastructure around the world. It’s an idea Option G7 it will provide higher environmental standards and greater transparency in lending and governance.

But it’s also likely to offer quite a bit of money – the point at which the G7 communiqué becomes blurred. Meanwhile, Chinese banks and companies are already working on major projects around the world, such as building a new one. the capital for Egypt.

Beyond the commercials and headlines, there is a deeper question of how united the Western world really is in its decision to oppose Chinese rule. Even on the edge of the G7, it was clear that it was stronger than the rhetoric of European languages ​​used by the US and Japan.

The four nations invited to join the G7 in Cornwall, especially India and Australia, are clear in their efforts to organize a democratic world for China to take over. But speaking before the G7 summit, Emmanuel Macron, the French president, emphasize Europe would share its “need to maintain its independence” when it comes to China’s strategy. ”That sentiment would be shared by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and, in part, Boris Johnson. he wants to eat “.

The G7 cannot avoid the reality that China’s cooperation is key to tackling climate change. The assembled leaders tried to make it to Cornwall to give leadership to the global effort. They announced ambitious plans to shut down coal-fired power plants as soon as possible and protect 30 percent of the planet’s land and oceans by 2030. The official communication had a little clarity about the details, inevitably. But it is suspected that practical steps to achieve these goals may not be forthcoming.

After Cornwall, Biden’s next stop is a NATO summit in Brussels, followed by a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The G7 communiqué indicated a point calling Research into the use of chemical weapons on Russian soil – as well as denying Russia’s tolerance of ransomware attacks launched from its homeland. It is hoped that Putin will be impressed with the displays of determination and unity in western Cornwall and Brussels.

This year’s G7 summit certainly contrasted sharply with Trump’s years, as the U.S. president seemed much more eager to spark divisions with old allies than to show unity. Johnson, who is also in favor of Trump, was probably honest when he said it was a “fresh wind” for the Biden western alliance.

Putin – as well as Chinese President Xi Jinping – will notice that things have changed clearly in the Western alliance as Trump leaves the White House. But will Russian and Chinese leaders be intimidated or punished? Maybe not yet.

gideon.rachman@ft.com

Follow Gideon with Rachman myFT and forward Twitter



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