The G7 summit in Hiroshima has ended with discussions focusing on the Ukrainian war and the dominance of China. They also focused on challenges facing developing economies, including Brazil, Vietnam, Comoros and India. Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy made headlines during his time the summit. He was present in the session on Ukraine where it was revealed he had spoken with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. His itinerary for the rest of the day included visiting the Peace Memorial Park and the museum in Hiroshima to remember the atomic bombing of the city. Zelenskyy continues to make the rounds of G-7 leaders. Earlier on the second day of the summit, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the president on the margins of the summit for the first time since Russia's invasion of the Ukraine and shared images of their encounter to his Twitter page.
The final day of the Group of Seven (G7) summit has passed in Hiroshima, with delegates including Ukraine's President Volodomyr Zelenskyy discussing the war, China’s dominance and the issues faced by the Global South. Joining the leaders were a number of key Asia-Pacific figures such as the Indian, South Korean, Indonesian and Australian prime ministers. The triennial met throughout the summit, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took some time off to visit Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park and Museum. President Joe Biden met with Zelenskyy, Ukrainian Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister for talks. The G7 laid out a common de-risking path on China, while India's Narendra Modi commented that he would “amplify concerns of the Global South” at the summit.
Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida and his South Korean counterpart, Yoon Suk-yeol, have visited a cenotaph in Hiroshima that honours Korean victims of the 1945 atomic bombing, in the first such joint visit by the two countries. The two leaders visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, laid white bouquets at the cenotaph, and bowed together at the site. Yoon later said that the “courageous” visit would “pave the way for a peaceful future” while expressing grief over the Korean victims of the atomic bomb. Kishida described the visit as “very meaningful for bilateral ties and also in praying for world peace.” The trip was immediately followed by a summit between the two countries. They agreed upon the joint visit to the memorial during their meeting in Seoul.
The Ukraine conflict was at the forefront of G7 meetings in Hiroshima, Japan, over the weekend. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was among the invitees to the meetings, which discussed China's growing dominance and issues affecting the so-called "Global South." Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed the need for a "resilient and diversified" approach to supply chains, while UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak commented on the summit's significance for consolidating peace. Meanwhile, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called for the issue of nuclear weapons to be discussed openly, and said it was "historically significant" for the G7 leaders visiting the Peace Memorial Museum to publish a focus on nuclear disarmament – known as the Hiroshima Vision. The G7 summit heralded a number of warm bilateral meetings, concluding with talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on the conflict on Sunday afternoon.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida promised to send a message of peace to the world during this weekend’s G7 summit in Hiroshima. Kishida, who became prime minister last year, aimed to host the G7 summit in his home district as showcase for his commitment to nuclear arms control and disarmament. While the event itself was largely symbolic, Kishida managed to persuade the leaders from all the G7 nations to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, persuading them to spend significant time there. Although there was little in the way of concrete actions coming from the summit, Kishida’s deftness in persuading other leaders to adopt his position will have burnished his reputation at home and internationally.
The leaders of the G7 nations have pledged sustained support for Ukraine amid claims from Russia that it has taken the heavily damaged city of Bakhmut. Meanwhile, confusion reigns over whether or not the city is ideed back in Russian hands. At a meeting of the G7 on Sunday, US President Joe Biden promised Ukraine a $375m military aid package featuring artillery and armoured vehicles, while other members of the group echoed his words of support.
The Group of Seven (G7) summit in Japan has ended, with discussions centring around the Ukraine war, China’s growing dominance and support for the “Global South”. According to a communique, the G7 nations have agreed to support public-private initiatives to swerve China's “belt and road” initiative, to implement measures to counter state-backed “malicious cyber activities”, and to decarbonise energy systems by the end of the century. The G7 also signed a declaration committing to the protection of international maritime regulations, including the peaceful resolution of maritime disputes, navigation rights, and safety along sea lanes. G7 leaders expressed concern over the situation in the East and South China seas. The summit also saw the invitees from Indonesia, South Korea, India and Australia discuss issues such as Ebola, the impact of Brexit, terrorism and trade. President Zelenskyy of Ukraine was in the spotlight throughout the summit.
The G7 summit concluded with a clear message to China, stating that the nation's rise pose the "the greatest challenge of our age". Via two statements, the leaders of the G7 democracies took exception with Beijing's interference in the Indo-Pacific and Taiwan, warned that China could undermine foreign and domestic policies and positions of the group's members, and claimed China was "increasingly authoritarian at home and abroad". They also voiced concern over the "weaponisation" of economic vulnerabilities, but did not propose any specific changes, instead seeking to "de-risk" policy. Beijing lodged a complaint with summit organiser Japan.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has urged North Korea to discontinue ballistic missile test launches after visiting the fortified border between the North and South. He also called the tests "a threat to peace and security in this region". Following a trip to the Demilitarised Zone separating the countries, Scholz met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who championed "respect for freedom as a universal value" in the face of challenges to democracy and global supply chain instability. The meeting also saw discussions about furthering "reciprocal and future-oriented cooperation" between the two nations. Scholz's visit follows his attendance at the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan, where leaders agreed a shared approach to China and pledged not to stop supporting Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's surprise attendance at the G7 summit in Hiroshima sparked a media frenzy, with reporters scrambling to get as close to him as possible during his brief visit. Though some journalists lamented not being able to ask the president a question, one reporter praised the opportunity as a career boost. “It’s so great you got to ask him a question!” a reporter from Taiwan said after she randomly grabbed my shoulder to get my attention. “That’s a huge advantage for your career.” Zelenskiy visited Hiroshima to lay flowers at the Atomic Bomb Memorial and focused on talks about nuclear disarmament, which dominated discussions during the G7 summit.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called on North Korea to end its missile and nuclear tests, calling them "a threat to peace and security in the region". The comments were made during a tour of the border between North Korea and South Korea. Scholz described the situation as "unchanged dangerous". Pyongyang has continued to develop ballistic missiles that can carry nuclear warheads, despite significant sanctions and censure by both the UN and US.
China has won the Sudirman Cup for a record-extending 13th time, with a 3-0 victory over South Korea in the final. The tournament was the first major sporting event held in mainland China since the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions. China had narrowly defeated Japan in the semi-finals, while South Korea had beaten Malaysia. The event was held in Suzhou, near Shanghai. The three-peat saw China retain the mixed-team badminton title after defeating Japan in the 2019 and 2021 finals.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is hosting the G7 summit in Hiroshima, has found himself with a unique dilemma as he has to balance his vision of a world without nuclear arms with the widespread fears of aggression from Japan’s nuclear-armed neighbours. Kishida has been pushing for a pacifist constitution and a world free of nuclear weapons, but is faced with threats from North Korea and China, which are both rapidly expanding their nuclear arsenals. Kishida has already shown Japan’s solidarity with Ukraine, which faces Russian aggression, but is still trying to maintain his overall vision of peace for Asia-Pacific.
The "micro age gap" is an age difference of between seven and 12 years, and a recent piece in The Telegraph argues that it is an optimal range for a successful relationship. Those in micro age gap relationships benefit from knowledge sharing and are able to learn from their partner's lived experiences, while still circling the same life stages and reference points, the author said. The piece cited examples of celebrity couples such as Jay-Z and Beyoncé and Davina McCall and Michael Douglas, with both pairs enjoying successful relationships. Couples with more significant age gaps can face issues when the older partner's health declines earlier, but life expectancy is increasing, a psychotherapist quoted in the article said.
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The idealistic vision of a world without nuclear weapons came to the fore this weekend following the G7 summit in Hiroshima, with Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida using the forum as the backdrop to call for global peace and the end of nuclear arsenals. The last day of the talks was upstaged by the arrival of Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, determined to raise support for the Ukrainian peace plan and show recalcitrant Republicans in Congress that withholding further assistance from his country would damage US leadership. Plans for a joint communication document that would align the G7 behind the Ukrainian peace plan came to nothing, but its message was transmitted nonetheless. Kishida outlined four principles that the participants had agreed on, with the importance of the United Nations charter and the rule of law, as well as projecting solidarity with Ukraine the main areas of accord.
China's cyber regulator, The Cyberspace Administration of China, has announced that US chip maker Micron Technology poses a significant security risk to China's critical information infrastructure supply chain and has ordered critical national infrastructure operators to stop purchasing its products and banned it from China's market. The ban, viewed as retaliation against US efforts to curb China's access to technology, follows a seven-week investigation into Micron by the CAC. China is an important market for Micron, with China and Hong Kong generating 25% of its $30.8bn revenue last year.
The People's Bank of China is expected to keep key lending rates unchanged on Monday as Asian traders digest the implications of the G7's stance on China and the tense situation in Washington regarding the US debt ceiling. The main regional drivers for Asian markets this week will be policy decisions in New Zealand, South Korea and Indonesia, inflation figures from Singapore and Malaysia, and Japanese unemployment and retail sales. Later in the week, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand is expected to raise its cash rate one last time by 25 basis points to 5.50%, while Bank of Korea and Bank Indonesia are seen keeping their benchmark rates on hold at 3.50% and 5.75%, respectively.
Asian stocks and Wall Street futures have struggled as US debt ceiling negotiations come to a head after stalling last week. US President Joe Biden and House Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy are meeting to discuss the debt ceiling on Monday, less than two weeks before the 1 June deadline, after which Treasury expects the federal government will struggle to pay its debts. An S&P 500 futures loss of 0.1% and MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan remaining wobbly as Jonathan Pingle, chief economist at UBS said the Japanese yen and gold were best placed to benefit from a US default.
Shares in Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix rose in morning trading in South Korea following the announcement from China that Micron Technology had failed a security review. China's cyberspace regulator announced on Sunday that products made by Micron had failed its network security review, meaning operators of key infrastructure would be banned from buying the products. China began reviewing Micron's products in March after a series of export controls on chipmaking technology to China were imposed by the US. Neither Samsung Electronics nor SK Hynix commented on the wider market's gains.
South Korean exports in the first 20 days of May fell 16.1% YoY, while imports dropped by 15.3%, creating a trade deficit of $4.3bn for the period. South Korea's heavily trade-dependent economy has been hit hard by weak global demand, with exports declining every month for the past seven months, their longest drop in three years.
