Why does the G7 summit have 16 seats at the table?

By William On May 20, 2023

Hiroshima, Japan – The summit of the Group of Seven (G7) is attended by more countries than the name suggests.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the host of this year’s meeting of wealthy democracies, has expanded the event’s guest list as he seeks to strengthen ties with middle powers and countries in the South.

The Japanese leader’s outreach comes as the forum aims to boost cooperation on global challenges, including the Russian war in Ukraine, the rise of China, food security and climate change.

How many countries are represented at the meeting?

The G7 currently consists of the United States, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy, plus the European Union as an “unlisted member”, but the forum has seen participation from non-member states over the years invited such as India, Poland and Spain.

This year, leaders from 16 countries plus the EU will attend the three-day summit.

In addition to G7 members and the EU, leaders from India, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam, Australia, South Korea, the Comoros and the Cook Islands will be present – the latter two also representing the African Union Forum and the Pacific Islands respectively as their current presidents.

Why does the G7 want to expand ties with developing countries?

While the G7 tries to form a united front in its efforts to pressure Russia to end the war in Ukraine, most of the international community has refused to take sides in the conflict.

With the exception of Japan, the sanctions campaign against Russia has been a Western-led effort.

While Russia’s trade with the G7 countries has plummeted, China, India and Turkey have made up much of the backlog with increased imports of Russian coal, oil and gas. The Russian economy shrank by only about 2.2 percent in 2022, much less than expected.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shake hands before their bilateral meeting at the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima, western Japan [Japan Pool via AP]

While the G7 is still influential, the G7’s share of the world economy has fallen from about 70 percent in the 1980s to 44 percent today.

“Kishida wants to get closer to the Global South because the G7 approach to Russia – and China – is somewhat isolated at the moment,” Sayuri Shirai, an economics professor at Keio University in Tokyo, told Al Jazeera.

“Many developing and emerging economies, because of their closer ties through natural resources or the economy to Russia and/or China, are very wary of being part of a G7-led coalition.

“The Global South is important because their market share is growing and their GDP (PPP, based on purchasing power parity) share is over 50 percent,” added Shirai. “Meanwhile, Japan is aging and its population is shrinking.”

Does this mean that smaller countries and developing countries will have more say in global affairs?

Some observers hope this year’s G7 summit will mark the beginning of a greater international role for voices that have been neglected in the past.

In an interview with Nikkei Asia earlier this week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would use the summit to “amplify the voices and concerns of the Global South”.

Ian Hall, the deputy director of Australia’s Griffith Asia Institute, said the G7’s expanded focus reflected a “wider crisis of multilateralism”.

“I think the scope is real: there is a recognition that the voices of the South are not always heard and that is necessary if we are to find a way forward on issues like climate change,” Hall told Al Jazeera.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes part in a G7 working session on food, health and development during the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan [Susan Walsh/Pool via Reuters]

Critics are more skeptical about the importance of the G7 in giving the Global South more say in the world.

In an analysis released ahead of the summit, Oxfam said G7 countries continue to demand $232 million a day in debt payments from low- and middle-income countries, despite spending $13.3 trillion in unpaid aid and funding for climate action. to owe.

“Wealthy G7 countries like to present themselves as saviors, but they employ a deadly double standard: they play by one set of rules while their former colonies are forced by another. It’s doing as I say, not as I do,” said Amitabh Behar, ad interim executive director of Oxfam International.

“It is the rich world that the South owes. The help they promised decades ago but never delivered. The enormous cost of climate damage caused by their reckless burning of fossil fuels. The immense wealth is built on colonialism and slavery.”