G7 summit

The G7 summit in Italy has demonstrated that India continues to be a key player in this elite group’s scheme of things. The summit witnessed the participation of the seven member countries — the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and France — as well as the European Union, while India was present as an ‘outreach country’. In his address at this major platform, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the nations of the Global South were bearing the brunt of uncertainties and tensions. Reiterating the stand that marked India’s G20 presidency last year, the PM said the country had assumed responsibility for highlighting the priorities and concerns of developing countries on the world stage.

Modi’s words prompted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to assert that the G7 was not an exclusive club. ‘We want a partnership from which everyone benefits,’ Scholz declared, though it’s obvious that this is easier said than done. The ground reality was summed up by the Group of Seven’s reluctance to adopt a combative approach on China. The summit statement said the G7 was not trying to harm China or thwart its economic development; instead, it sought ‘constructive and stable’ relations with China and recognised the ‘importance of direct and candid engagement to express concerns and manage differences’. The G7’s stress on cooperation rather than confrontation left no room for doubt about China’s indispensability to the international community.

Beyond the optics of PM Modi’s interaction with several world leaders days after he assumed office for a third term, a big takeaway for India was the commitment made by the G7 to promote infrastructure initiatives such as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). This ambitious project, which envisages a vast road, railroad and shipping network connecting Asia with the West, is seen as a counter to China’s multi-modal, multilateral Belt and Road Initiative. However, the IMEC’s fate hangs in the balance amid the ongoing turbulence in West Asia.