World News | G7 diplomats tackle Ukraine, China, North Korea crises

TOKYO, April 14 (AP) — Russia has threatened to attack Ukraine with nuclear weapons. China’s belligerent troops bypass Taiwan. North Korea has conducted an unprecedented missile test.

Senior diplomats from some of the world’s most powerful democracies will have plenty to discuss when they gather in the hot spring resort of Karuizawa on Sunday for the so-called meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations.

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Some argue that with the weakening of the United Nations, global forums such as the Group of Seven have become more important amid Russia and China’s intransigence in the Security Council.

But there are also considerable doubts about whether diplomats from most Western democracies can find a way to influence, let alone deter, authoritarian states that are increasingly willing to use violence or the threat thereof to pursue their own interests.

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In addition to global hotspots, the foreign ministers of Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and the European Union are expected to discuss ways to improve human rights and democracy, as well as important issues that could affect poorer countries and richer countries with stable governments insufficient attention.

However, the agenda will be dominated by concerns about Russia, China, and North Korea, and an awareness of the apparent interlinkages between these and other foreign policy issues.

Yuichi Hosoya, a professor of international politics at Japan’s Keio University, said this year’s G7 meeting was the most important in the group’s history, given the urgent need to end Russia’s war in Ukraine and stem a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

With so much at stake, here’s what the diplomats will face as talks wrap up Tuesday:

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ukraine war

Broad attention to nuclear issues has always been important in this year’s G7 talks, culminating in a summit next month of key leaders in Hiroshima, the target of the first nuclear bomb used in war.

The issue has taken on added urgency amid fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin, growing desperate after defeat in Ukraine, could use tactical nuclear weapons to win the war.

China is seen as one of the few countries that could influence Russia’s actions in Ukraine, with a foreign policy alignment between the world’s two largest autocracies set to be Karuizawa’s main focus.

China’s leader, Xi Jinping, appears to be increasingly emboldened in pursuing his autocratic impulses, recently traveling to Moscow and working to deepen bilateral ties. This “clouds Beijing’s hopes of pressuring Putin to reduce (his) conflict,” said Stephen Nagy, an Asia expert at Tokyo’s International Christian University.

During a visit to Beijing this month, French President Emmanuel Macron called on Mr Xi to “bring Russia back to its senses”, only to receive a tepid response, with additional calls for a political solution.

Jeffrey Hall, a lecturer at Japan’s Kanda University of International Studies, said Japan may use the G7 announcement to step up its strong support for Ukraine.

“The Japanese leadership sees cooperation on security issues related to Ukraine as a possible way to strengthen security cooperation in the Pacific,” Hall said.

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China’s rising up

China’s increasingly bold attempts to intimidate self-ruled Taiwan were on full display when Beijing recently sent planes and ships to conduct a mock siege of the island. China claims Taiwan as its territory. China’s extensive military buildup, including a rapid increase in its nuclear warheads, its hard-line stance on sovereignty in the South China Sea and recent statements by Xi Jinping that paint a scenario of imminent confrontation have fueled fears among the G-7 countries.

Beijing and Pyongyang are particularly concerned about Japan’s military expansion, which they see as an attempt to “undercut efforts by both capitals to rewrite the regional security architecture in their favor,” Najib said.

Under Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Tokyo has broken away from the post-World War II doctrine of self-defense alone, seeking to acquire pre-emptive strike capabilities and cruise missiles in response to growing threats from North Korea, China and Russia.

As the G7 examines ways to manage China’s rise, Beijing is strengthening ties with trade- and investment-hungry countries such as Pakistan and Argentina. This would greatly expand China’s global footprint and challenge North American and European attempts to link investment with good governance and respect for human rights.

Kishida’s decision to invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a leaders’ summit next month “signifies Japan’s desire to strengthen security cooperation with one of its Chinese rivals. When Japan calls for a free and open Indo-Pacific, it is Calling on nations to stand up to the way China and Russia are behaving internationally,” Hall said. ___

north korea threat

Park Won-kun, a professor at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said this year’s G7 talks were crucial to revive diplomacy aimed at forcing hostile North Korea back into disarmament talks, especially in the dysfunctional UN Security Council, which is divided among the permanent members.

Since last year, North Korea has tested about 100 missiles, including an intercontinental ballistic missile that has been shown to be capable of reaching the continental United States, as well as various other short-range missiles that threaten South Korea and Japan.

Leader Kim Jong Un may be seeking to use Russia’s war on Ukraine as a global distraction to expand the nuclear arsenal he sees as the strongest guarantee of his family’s dynastic rule.

Beijing and Moscow last year blocked a U.S.-led move to tighten Security Council sanctions over North Korea’s major missile test.

Even if North Korea conducts its first nuclear test since 2017, the Security Council is unlikely to tighten sanctions. But the US, its allies and “similar – European partners – gathered at the G7 meeting, Parker said, were a tactic similar to the way Washington was pressuring Moscow over its aggression in Ukraine.

“The importance of the G7 has been greatly strengthened because it is clear that the role and functions of the UN Security Council are being dismantled by Russia and China, and something new needs to be found to replace it,” Park said. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)