Diplomats from the Group of Seven nations have taken a firm stance on China’s increasing threats to Taiwan, and on North Korea's tests of long-range missiles.
In a lengthy, 24-point joint communiqué, the G7 diplomats "condemn in the stronges possible terms" Russia's invasion of Ukraine, call for a "free and open" Indo-Pacific, and express "serious concern" about China's increasing regional assertiveness, while opposing Beijing's militarisation.
The communiqué is jointly published by the US State Department, the French Foreign Ministry, the UK's Foreign Office and the foreign ministries of Italy, Germany, Japan and Canada, and is intended to show that the seven most industrialised nations speak with one voice. This is particularly important in the wake of French President Emmanuel Macron's remarks last week on the China-Taiwan issue.
Meanwhile, the China-Russia axis is strengthening ties with its own allies.
On 16 April, a month after China's President Xi Jinping visited Russia, China's Minister of Defence, Li Shangfu, arrived in Moscow for a four-day visit and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
The People's Liberation Army Daily, expressed hope that "the two militaries will strengthen cooperation in areas such as joint exercises and professional exchanges" and "further strengthen strategic communication."
According to the Kremlin website, Li said that "as of late, military and military-technical cooperation between Russia and China is developing very well," adding that Russia and China have "a very strong relationship that goes beyond the Cold War-era military and political alliances."
Nukes east and west
China remains influential in North Korea, while Putin is increasingly incorporating Belarus into the Russian realm.
Xi was quoted by Pyongyang's official press agency KCNA as saying that China wants to "encourage the bilateral friendship and cooperation" between the two countries.
In another press release, KCNA announced that North Korea successfully launched "a new-type ICBM, Hwasongpho-18, which will fulfill its mission of an important war deterrent" while it says that its nuclear deterrent will turn North Korea "into an entity of super power and absolute strength."
The G7 strongly criticised Pyongyang's latest tests, and the G7 Non-Proliferation Directors Group called on North Korea "not to conduct further nuclear tests, to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) while condemning Russia’s announced intent "to station nuclear weapons in Belarus as a further demonstration of irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and behaviour."
But the US-led G7 sees its influence crumbling. Iran, still under heavy sanctions from Washington, was offered lifelines by both Beijing and Moscow, and Tehran is actively involved in the war in Ukraine, supplying the Russian army with military-grade drones.
Building Brics against the G7
In a recent UN General Assembly vote to censure Russia's invasion of Ukraine, 35 countries, including several African states where Russia's Wagner military contractors are active, refused to criticise Moscow.
The G7 has little support among the Brics nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) with South Africa remaining neutral in Russia-critical resolutions, and even hosting war games last February in which Russian and Chinese ships took part.
And while India is at odds with fellow Brics-member China over stretches of their shared border, New Delhi is still sympathetic to Moscow, helping Russia by purchasing oil and abstaining from UN votes that condemn the invasion of Ukraine.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was delivered by Brazil. Just days before the G7 meeting in Japan, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva made a 48-hour visit to Shanghai and Beijing, where he showed strong interest in China's 5G technology, to be provided by Huawei - blacklisted by the US over security concerns - while calling for an end to the US Dollar as the international currency for trade. Earlier, on 7 February, Xinhua News Agency reported that the People's Bank of China and the Central Bank of Brazil had signed a memorandum of cooperation to set up yuan clearing arrangements in Brazil.
To further emphasise Brazil's distance from the US, Lula invited Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Brasilia. During their meeting, Lavrov expressed gratitude to Lula for Brazil's contributions towards peace in Ukraine. A spokesperson from the White House accused Lula of repeating propaganda from Russia and China "without considering the facts."
The G7 may be at a crossroads. According to British research group Acorn Macro Consulting, Brics countries now contribute "nearly 31.5 percent" of the global GDP, compared to 30.7 percent by G7 countries. Given the existing tensions between the two entities, it is far from clear if cooperation or conflict will prevail.
The G7 leaders' summit will take place in Hiroshima from 19-21 May.
