MIDEAST, CHINA
The summit comes at a time of extraordinary world turmoil.
In addition to the battle in Ukraine – now in its third 12 months – the Hamas-Israel battle is raging and financial tensions are rising between China and Western nations.
Many G7 nations are additionally in political flux. Everybody in Puglia is conscious this may very well be Biden’s final G7 summit if he loses to Donald Trump within the November US elections.
Britain’s Rishi Sunak is tipped to be ousted in Jul 4 elections, whereas France’s Macron and Germany’s Olaf Scholz are each beneath strain after good points by the far proper in EU elections final weekend.
The G7 summit opens on Thursday morning with a brief session on Africa, improvement and local weather change, earlier than turning to the Center East.
The leaders have already introduced their assist for a Gaza truce deal outlined by Biden, which might additionally see the discharge of hostages taken in Hamas’s Oct 7 assault on Israel.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II – a robust supporter of the Palestinian trigger whose nation signed a peace treaty with Israel 30 years in the past – is amongst round a dozen non-G7 visitors additionally attending who should not, nevertheless, taking part within the working classes.
They embody Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and India’s Narendra Modi.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva – whose nation holds the rotating G20 presidency this 12 months – in addition to Argentina’s Javier Milei and UN Secretary Normal Antonio Guterres additionally plan to attend.
All of the visitors are invited to a dinner on Friday evening on the Borgo Egnazia luxurious lodge advanced, constructed within the fashion of a standard village.
With safety extraordinarily tight, the venue is way away from protesters and journalists, with the media centre positioned some 60 kilometres away in Bari.
One other key situation in Puglia, to be mentioned on Friday, will probably be considerations about China’s so-called “industrial overcapacity”, notably in inexperienced vitality and know-how sectors similar to photo voltaic panels and electrical automobiles.
The US, EU and Japan have all voiced concern that beneficiant subsidies from Beijing are leading to a flood of low-cost items hitting the worldwide market, threatening Western companies.
