G7 leaders meet to tighten screws on Russia, find united line on China

TOKYO – Leaders of the International Group of Seven (G7) nations meet in Hiroshima this week looking to tighten the screws on Russia further over the Ukraine war and agree a united line on China's growing military and economic power.

The three-day summit of leading developed democracies will cover everything from energy to AI, but a key focus will be targeting those who have helped Moscow blunt the impact of Western-led sanctions.

The leaders will also chart a careful course on Beijing, projecting unity on Taiwan and emphasizing the need to "derisk" crucial supply chains by diversifying away from China, while also attempting to avoid further inflaming tensions. Last month's G7 foreign ministers' meeting, seen as setting the stage for the Hiroshima talks, had a heavy focus on China, and put Beijing on notice over "militarization activities" in the South China Sea.

It also insisted there was "no change" on Taiwan policy after French President Emmanuel Macron, following a trip to Beijing last month, said Europe should avoid "crises that aren't ours".

Ministers warned Beijing on everything from its nuclear arsenal to its business practices, and this week's summit is expected to endorse extracting crucial supply chains from Chinese influence.

Washington has taken an aggressive approach, blocking China's access to the most advanced semiconductors and the equipment to make them, and has convinced Japan and the Netherlands to follow suit.

But Europe's foreign policy chief this week warned the bloc needs to "define" and "recalibrate" its position.

"We seek a multifaceted approach to our economic relationships with China," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Monday.

"It is characterized by de-risking, and not decoupling," she added.

She cited specific examples of Chinese attempts at economic coercion, targeting Lithuania, Japan and Australia.

"We are most vulnerable to coercion... where dependencies build up. That's why we are taking action," she added, calling critical raw materials one area for work.

Europe has already enraged Beijing by proposing to restrict exports of sensitive tech to eight Chinese firms suspected of shipping it on to Russia.

And the Hiroshima summit is expected to push for similar actions to help close gaps in the sanctions regime G7 countries have imposed on Russia.