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Group of 7 (G7)

Group of 7 (G7)
The Group of Seven (G7) originated in 1975 as the Group of Six (France, West Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States), representing the largest economies in the world. It was joined by Canada in 1976.
Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to the Yasny fish processing complex on the Kuril Island of Iturup on Thursday. Photo: Sputnik / Gavriil Grigorov / Pool via Reuters
Russia

Russia summons Japan envoy over disputed Kuril Islands row after Putin visit

Japanese officials had ‘crossed the line of decency’ in criticising Putin’s recent trip, said Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

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China-EU relations

European Central Bank’s President Lagarde urges talks on yuan undervaluation

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Italy

Italy’s Meloni let Trump’s jibes slide for so long. Now, she’s hitting back

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Japan

Macroscope | Why Japan’s proposal for G7 critical mineral stockpiles is a bad idea

Tokyo’s overtures towards the G7 assume that China is a threat to be countered with economic or security measures.

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(From left) Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, US President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz prepare for a group picture at Hotel Royal during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France on June 16. Photo: EPA
China trade

G7 rare earths, US-Iran peace deal, Summer Davos

This week: The G7 moved to reduce reliance on Chinese rare earths, while the EU discussed trade defences, the US and Iran signed a peace deal that reopened the Strait of Hormuz, and China’s retail sales fell for the first time since 2022. Next week: Summer Davos takes place in Dalian, China’s legislators meet, Chinese hit indie movie Dear You opens in the US, and more.

North Korea

North Korea warns of ‘disaster’ if G7 tries to strip its nuclear weapons

Kim Jong-un’s sister said denuclearisation would never be realised as ⁠North Korea’s weapons were a self-defensive deterrent.

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Japan

Trump says Japan ‘doing very well’ under his ‘biggest fan’ Takaichi

The US president also said Tokyo was not willing to get involved during the Iran war.

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi with US President Donald Trump at the US Navy’s Yokosuka base in Japan last year. Photo: AP
Canada

Trump likes Canada’s Chinese EV deal, Carney says after chat caught on hot mic

The arrangement allows a capped number of electric vehicles from China to be imported at a low-tariff rate.

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Canada

Cigarettes, football and Greenland: G7 hot mics reveal world leaders’ banter

Unfiltered audio captures off-the-cuff conversations at the G7 summit in France.

Ukraine war

Trump urges Russia to make deal with Ukraine after meeting Zelensky at G7

US president says ‘gonna do whatever I can’ as Europe presses Trump for more support.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump at the G7 summit. Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service via Reuters
Japan

Takaichi’s G7 mission: bridge Trump-bloc divides, polish ‘Iron Lady’ image

The Japanese leader also proposed a strategic mineral stockpiling plan during the summit to counter China and boost Tokyo’s global role.

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Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the G7 summit in Evian, France, on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Ukraine war

Zelensky proposes meeting Putin in US after Russian leader ‘ignores’ G7 invite

Ukrainian leader said he made the proposal in a call with Trump, suggesting Putin would find the offer of a US meeting ‘harder to refuse’.

Switzerland

Thousands hold G7 protest in Geneva as world leaders prepare for France summit

Roughly 7,000 protesters clashed with police, set a car on fire and smashed the windows of a bank in the Swiss city on Sunday.

Donald Trump

Trump to discuss Strait of Hormuz demining efforts at G7

Trump also plans to meet on the sideline of the summit with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and UAE to discuss efforts to wind down the Iran war.

Trump also plans to meet on the sideline of the G7 summit with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and United Arab Emirates to discuss efforts to wind down the Iran war. Photo: TNS
China economy

Opinion | Why the world needs China to save more, not less

The IMF assumes China should save less. China’s saving is key to financing the developing world’s need for green infrastructure.

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Workers head towards the connection point of the Chinese and Laotian sections of a shared power project on February 5. If China consumes more and saves less, there would likely be less global capital formation. Less infrastructure would be built abroad. Photo: Xinhua
ICBMs

G7 ‘concerned’ at Russia and China’s nuclear build-up

The remarks come ahead of a month-long conference to revise the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

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France

Macron woos Trump to G7 summit with French palace dinner. Will he bite?

An official said the French leader was ‘begging’ the US president to attend the June meeting.

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China-Africa relations

Can China step in to fill the gap as US pressures allies to snub South Africa?

On the same day South Africa is disinvited from the G7 summit following threats from Washington, Beijing offers tariff-free trade.

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Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng pictured with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Cape Town. Photo: Xinhua
US, Israel war on Iran

‘Ukraine’s not America’s war, Iran not our war’: US, G7 diplomats trade barbs

The US secretary of state chided allies for rebuffing Trump’s demand for military help in the Gulf.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Iran warns of US$200 oil as countries reach for emergency reserves

US president declares ‘we won’ the war as chaos in the Strait of Hormuz sends shock waves through energy markets.

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Germany

Germany, Japan to unblock oil reserves as G7 stands ‘ready’ to act

The latest announcement came as G7 leaders were set to discuss the widespread economic fallout from the US-Israeli war with Iran.

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Surplus gas is burnt off in a crude oil processing plant in Germany. The German and Japanese governments will free up some of their national oil reserves. Photo: dpa
Artificial intelligence

Opinion | Who will save the world from a US-China AI arms race?

Unrestrained military AI could doom us all. The window for a global middle-power alliance to rein in the superpowers is closing fast.

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The logo of the US AI company Anthropic. The US and China now face a prisoner’s dilemma in military AI. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Trump’s ‘vacillating’ China policy causing confidence crisis in allies: report

‘Sweeping destruction – rather than careful reforms and policy corrections – is the order of the day’, Munich Security Report 2026 says.

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Russia

Russian shadow tanker’s Indian captain, crew in French custody

The Grinch is suspected of belonging to Russia’s sanctions-busting ‘shadow fleet’ for the vessel’s failure to fly a flag.

US-China relations

Can US-led bloc ease China’s ‘vice-like grip’ on rare earths?

Washington is working with its allies to accelerate projects in rare earths and diversify their supply in response to China’s export curbs.

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A rare earth mine in Ganxian county in central China’s Jiangxi province. Photo: AP
China trade

Japan firms seen ‘stockpiling’ rare earths as Tokyo looks to G7 amid China row

Amid fears of potential mineral export curbs by Beijing, Japanese industry is bracing, and Tokyo appears keen on a united international response.

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Japan’s finance minister said she would attend a G7 gathering in Washington on Monday with the “risk of a rare-earth-supply interruption from China in mind”. Photo: Getty Images
Greece

Greek minister takes over as Eurogroup president, marking historic turnaround

Kyriakos Pierrakakis’ election to head Eurogroup underscores Greece’s remarkable economic performance.

China-EU relations

France’s Emmanuel Macron to meet Xi Jinping during China trip next week

French president will meet his Chinese counterpart as part of a three-day visit from December 3, with two stops in Beijing and Chengdu.

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