Donald Trump recently admitted that the G7 format is outdated. But what can be done to change it?
The President of the United States expressed quite a sound consideration: the G7 has ceased to reflect the current global alignment. It is frankly outdated. It is difficult to disagree with this, the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet summarizes.
In fact, the G7 is a kind of a closed club of Western states and Japan that has joined them. But almost half a century since its inception, much has changed radically. New centers of power and rapid development have appeared on the planet. But there is also the G20. And it would also be worthwhile to include new countries in it.
However, the American leader as one of the most influential people on the globe had a Trump card up his sleeve. And he presented it to the public, proposing to transform the G7 into a “club of eleven”, including India, Australia, South Korea and Russia.
The idea is not bad, but where is China – the second economy in the world and the first country in terms of population? The fact of the matter is that China is not there, and cannot be because of its confrontation with Washington.
Trump’s concept is simple and understandable, he intends to create a Western anti-Chinese interstate format with the involvement of India, Russia and South Korea. But again, it will no way reflect the real state of affairs. It will become an imitation without China, and not a real club of the strongest and most advanced.
It is unlikely that, at least in Moscow and New Delhi, the initiative of Donald Trump will find understanding. By the way, London offers something similar. Only the list is even smaller: G10. All the same, but without Russia, which is absolutely clear in the current relations between Britain and Moscow.
One of the local challenges of reforming the G7 of Western leaders is to reduce its dependence on China in developing the G5 network. However, much more is at stake – restraining Beijing in all directions.