G7 Faces China Dilemma Over Global Power Shift
Paris-G7 leaders meeting in France from Monday face renewed debate over whether excluding China from the group reflects current global realities, as Beijing’s economic, technological and strategic influence has expanded far beyond the conditions that shaped the club’s creation in 1975.
China was not included when leaders from major industrial nations first gathered at the Rambouillet summit near Paris, at a time when the country was still recovering from political upheaval and had a much smaller role in the world economy.
Decades of economic growth have transformed China into the world’s second-largest economy and a central player in trade, technology, supply chains and climate policy, prompting questions over whether the G7 can effectively address global challenges without Beijing at the table.
John Kirton, a University of Toronto specialist on the G7, said China’s transformation from a minor economic actor into a major global power had led some analysts to question whether the group would benefit from Chinese membership.
However, the G7 has historically defined itself as a gathering of democracies. Its founding declaration said members represented open democratic societies committed to individual liberty and social progress, a standard that China under both Mao Zedong and President Xi Jinping has not met, according to critics of Beijing’s political system.
China remains a major focus of G7 discussions because of its trade surplus, control of critical minerals, technological advances, military expansion and position as the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
French President Emmanuel Macron, hosting the summit in the Alpine town of Evian-les-Bains, has placed discussions on trade relations with China on the agenda as G7 nations examine concerns over rising Chinese exports, including electric vehicles and industrial goods.
Cédric Dupont, an international politics specialist at the Geneva Graduate Institute, said China could become an issue that brings G7 members together despite recent disagreements over issues including the Iran conflict.
Beijing has criticised the G7’s limited membership in the past, describing it as a Western-led grouping, but China’s Foreign Ministry said ahead of the summit that the organisation should promote cooperation rather than division.
Analyst Wang Zichen said Beijing viewed the G7 as closely connected to US-led Western influence and as a forum where China is increasingly discussed as a strategic challenge.
Some analysts argue that admitting China could weaken the group’s unity because of differences over governance, international security and relations with countries such as Russia and Iran.
Chris Alden of the London School of Economics and Political Science said expanding the G7 to include China could make it harder for the group to operate effectively.
The G7’s previous attempt at expansion has also shaped the debate. Russia joined the group in 1998 but was suspended in 2014 after its annexation of Crimea, ending its participation in what had become the G8 format.
Donald Trump has previously argued that excluding Russia was a mistake, but some G7 analysts say the experience has made members more cautious about admitting countries that do not share the group’s political framework.
