The G7 summit

After a few weeks of uncertainty about the 46th annual summit of the G7 countries, US President Donald Trump has finally postponed this year’s meeting. The G7 (or Group of Seven) is a club of the world's seven largest so-called advanced economies namely Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States – all claiming to be upholders of democracy, freedom, human rights and rule of law. How far they actually abide by these principles is a moot question. Interestingly, they represent just 10 percent of the world population but 40 percent of the global GDP, making them a highly influential group on the international stage. More than the postponement of the summit, the observations made by Trump are inviting debate and discussion in international circles. President Trump feels that the group does not ‘properly represent what’s going on in the world’.

He has termed the G7 an ‘outdated group of countries’ which needs enlargement by inviting Australia, India, Russia and South Korea. Now the meeting is likely to be held in September instead of late June. Of the four countries suggested by Trump, it is worth recalling that Russia was incorporated in the group in 1997 making it the G8, which lasted till 2014 when Russia was suspended indefinitely as a punishment for annexing Crimea from Ukraine. For the past five years, once again the group has been functioning as the G7. This year’s G7 summit has gained more importance in the presence of Covid-19 that has claimed thousands of lives and millions of affected people in most of the G7 countries. Though President Trump’s remarks about the composition of the G7 may have some merit in it, the countries he is planning to invite leave much to be desired. Australia is not even among the top 15 countries in terms of GDP, nor is it among the top 50 countries populations-wise.

The exclusion of China is puzzling and the inclusion of India is even more surprising. If President Trump doesn’t want to invite China for its human rights record, India has shown all disregard for democratic norms and human rights, and violated both national and international laws. But rather than entering into this controversy, perhaps it would be better to use the G20 as a better forum to discuss challenges to the world economy, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Be it G-7 or G20, the point is how the world powers are responding to the present crisis and how the future will unfold before us. President Trump’s questionable decisions both domestically and on the foreign policy front do not portend well for the world and for America itself. Other countries such as China, India, Germany, Japan and Russia, should take the lead now and support the WHO in the fight against Covid-19.