The June 15-17 G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains will focus on the Iran agreement, the war in Ukraine, global economic imbalances and efforts to secure critical minerals outside China’s dominant supply chains.US President Donald Trump is due to attend the gathering after skipping last year’s G7 summit in Canada early.

French officials said his participation was important as allies seek coordination on major international issues.G7 leaders have been affected by Washington’s recent foreign policy decisions, which have reshaped debates over the Middle East, global trade and diplomatic relations.

Trump is scheduled to meet Middle Eastern leaders and hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the summit. The meeting with Zelensky comes as Ukraine continues to seek military support while Russian advances have slowed.G7 members are expected to seek details of the US-Iran agreement.

A memorandum of understanding is scheduled to be signed in Switzerland on Friday, though the full terms were not immediately disclosed.Trump said the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy shipments that Iran had effectively closed for months, would reopen on Friday and that the US blockade of Iranian ports would end.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, would end permanently from Monday night. Iranian officials said broader negotiations, including sanctions relief and discussions on its nuclear program, would follow during a 60-day ceasefire period.

The United Arab Emirates, along with mediators Qatar and Egypt, will also participate in the G7 discussions.The summit is also a major diplomatic moment for French President Emmanuel Macron, who is hosting the meeting during the final phase of his presidency.

France has used its G7 leadership to push discussions on global economic imbalances, describing the issue as a shared challenge involving China’s production capacity, US consumption and European investment levels.Brazil, India, Kenya and South Korea have been invited to join the talks, while Macron has encouraged China to increase domestic consumption.

India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar hosted U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi for talks focused on recent developments across the Indo-Pacific and ways to advance cooperation among the four countries, according to India’s foreign ministry.

The meeting took place against a backdrop of heightened geopolitical tensions across Asia and ongoing concerns among Quad members about China’s growing military and economic footprint in the Indo-Pacific. The grouping has increasingly emphasized cooperation on maritime security, resilient supply chains, critical technologies and strategic infrastructure.

Officials were also expected to discuss the conflict involving Iran and disruptions to energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil and gas trade.

The Quad has repeatedly expressed concern over Chinese activities in the South China Sea, where Beijing has asserted extensive territorial claims and expanded its military presence. China has rejected accusations of coercive behavior, saying its military posture is defensive and aimed at safeguarding what it considers sovereign rights. Beijing has also criticized the Quad, describing it as an effort to contain China’s rise and regional influence.

The talks came days after U.S. President Donald Trump visited China, a trip closely watched in New Delhi and other regional capitals for indications of any shift in Washington’s approach toward Beijing.

Rubio, who arrived in India on Saturday, said Washington wants the Quad to evolve beyond a consultative forum and pursue more tangible cooperation, including on maritime security and critical minerals. He also said officials were working toward a summit of Quad leaders later this year, though no date has been announced.

The four countries had previously aimed to hold a leaders’ summit in India last year, but the plan was postponed amid strains in U.S.-India relations, including disagreements over trade tariffs.

The Quad has emerged as one of the Indo-Pacific’s most prominent strategic partnerships, with members seeking closer coordination on regional security and economic resilience as competition between China and Western-aligned powers intensifies.

The meeting brought together India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Rubio at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty across the Indo-Pacific.

The talks came just days after U.S. President Donald Trump concluded a high-profile visit to China, during which he emphasized cooperation between Washington and Beijing. The visit was closely watched by regional partners concerned that closer U.S.-China engagement could diminish the strategic influence of allied nations seeking to balance China’s growing power.

The Quad, comprising the United States, India, Japan and Australia, has evolved into a key platform for cooperation on maritime security, critical technologies, supply chains and regional stability. The grouping is viewed by Beijing as an effort to counter China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific, a characterization its members reject.Rubio has sought to maintain momentum behind the alliance since taking office.

One of his first diplomatic initiatives was convening Quad foreign ministers in Washington shortly after his appointment, followed by another ministerial meeting in July 2025.Despite those efforts, uncertainty has lingered over the group’s future direction after a planned leaders’ summit in India failed to materialize last year.

The cancellation fueled concerns among some regional observers about Washington’s long-term commitment to institutionalizing the partnership.During his first official visit to India as secretary of state, Rubio said he hoped to lay the groundwork for a future summit involving Trump and the other Quad leaders. He emphasized the need for practical outcomes and concrete initiatives that leaders could announce when they eventually meet.

Among the priorities discussed was cooperation on critical minerals, an area that has gained strategic importance as governments seek to reduce dependence on Chinese-controlled supply chains for resources essential to advanced technologies, electric vehicles and defense systems.Rubio also highlighted maritime security as a central area for deeper collaboration.

Concerns about China’s expanding naval presence and territorial claims remain a shared issue for several Quad members, particularly Japan, which faces growing security challenges in nearby waters.The meeting unfolded against the backdrop of tensions in the Middle East following conflict involving Iran and disruptions affecting energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz.

Rising oil prices have created additional economic pressures for major importers such as India and Japan.Differences among U.S. partners over Washington’s policy toward Iran have complicated diplomatic coordination. While Australia expressed understanding of concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear program, neither Canberra, Tokyo nor New Delhi provided direct support for military action against Tehran.

Japan and India have historically maintained pragmatic relations with Iran and have previously balanced those ties against U.S. sanctions policies and broader strategic interests.Ahead of the Quad meeting, Motegi met Jaishankar in New Delhi and warned of a rapidly evolving global security environment shaped by shifting power balances and growing geopolitical competition.

Jaishankar, meanwhile, sought to ease concerns about U.S. engagement with the Quad, noting that Trump had supported the grouping during his first administration and remained invested in Indo-Pacific cooperation.The Quad was originally championed by late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who envisioned closer coordination among the four democracies in response to changing regional dynamics.

Under former U.S. President Joe Biden, the grouping broadened its agenda beyond security to include public health, infrastructure resilience, emerging technologies and supply-chain security.Tuesday’s meeting represented the latest attempt by member states to demonstrate continuity in the partnership as strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific intensifies and broader global conflicts test the cohesion of U.S.-led alliances.

Speaking in interviews with Jeune Afrique and The Africa Report during a two-day economic summit in Nairobi, Macron said Europe remained committed to multilateralism, the rule of law and open trade while global powers increasingly pursued confrontational economic policies.

“Europe defends the international order, effective multilateralism, the rule of law, free and open trade,” Macron said, drawing a distinction between European policy and the intensifying trade rivalry between the United States and China.

The French leader accused China of creating economic dependencies through its control of critical minerals and rare earth supply chains, arguing that Beijing prioritizes domestic processing while limiting broader industrial development elsewhere.“China operates according to a predatory logic,” Macron said, adding that Europe instead aimed to build “a strategy of autonomy” shared between African and European economies.

Macron’s remarks come as France attempts to recalibrate its relationship with Africa after years of deteriorating influence in several former colonies, particularly in the Sahel region where anti-French sentiment and military coups have weakened Paris’ regional standing.

France withdrew troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger following military takeovers between 2020 and 2023 that brought juntas to power and led to demands for French forces to leave.Macron defended France’s former military deployments in the Sahel, saying French troops had operated there at the request of local governments to combat jihadist insurgencies.

“When our presence was no longer wanted after the coups, we left,” Macron said. “That wasn’t a humiliation but a logical response to a given situation.”Despite acknowledging the enduring legacy of colonialism, Macron argued that Africa’s current political and economic difficulties could not be attributed solely to European imperial history.

“We must not exonerate from all responsibility the seven decades that followed independence,” he said, urging African governments to strengthen governance and institutional accountability.Macron, who has previously described colonialism as a “crime against humanity,” has sought since taking office in 2017 to redefine France’s relationship with Africa through economic partnerships and reduced military dependence.

He also called for reforms to international financial systems aimed at expanding guarantees capable of attracting larger volumes of private investment into African economies.

“A new era is about to start,” Macron said, expressing confidence that the Sahel region would eventually return to democratic governance under elected civilian leadership.

Speaking in Canberra after talks with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Takaichi said both countries would act with urgency to strengthen energy security amid a supply squeeze linked to reduced shipping through the strait.

Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil typically transits through the Strait of Hormuz, with flows curtailed after Iran throttled shipping following attacks by the United States and Israel. About 80 percent of that oil is destined for Asia, according to the International Energy Agency.

“The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has been inflicting enormous impact on the Indo-Pacific,” Takaichi told reporters, adding that Japan and Australia would maintain close communication to respond to the situation.

Both governments said they would seek to enhance resilience and autonomy in energy supply chains. Australia is Japan’s largest supplier of liquefied natural gas, while Japan provides a share of refined fuel products, including diesel, to Australia.

The two sides issued a series of agreements covering energy, economic cooperation, defense and critical minerals. Albanese said the measures would help shield Australia from “global shocks” stemming from conflict in the Middle East.

Japan has also emphasized the importance of securing stable supplies of critical minerals used in semiconductors, electric vehicle batteries and defense systems. Australia has positioned itself as a key supplier of such resources, highlighting its reserves as an alternative to concentrated global supply chains.

Defense cooperation has expanded alongside economic ties, including a deal valued at around Aus$10 billion for Japan to supply Mogami-class stealth warships to the Australian navy.

In a separate foreign policy address in Vietnam over the weekend, Takaichi reiterated Japan’s commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” a strategy aimed at strengthening regional security and supply chain resilience.
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The commitment came during Takaichi’s visit to Hanoi, where the two leaders discussed expanding the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established in 2023, covering sectors including energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, semiconductors and space cooperation.

“The two sides identified economic security as a new priority area for bilateral cooperation,” Takaichi told reporters after the meeting.“With regard to critical minerals, both sides agreed to strengthen close coordination to ensure stable supplies and reinforce supply chains,” she said.

The talks come as Japanese investment flows into Vietnam weakened sharply despite stronger trade ties. New Japanese investment in Vietnam fell about 75% year-on-year to $233 million in the first quarter of 2026, while bilateral trade rose 12.3% to $13.7 billion during the same period, according to Vietnamese government and customs data.

Japan remains one of Vietnam’s largest foreign investors, with major Japanese manufacturers operating extensive production bases in the country across electronics, automotive and industrial sectors.As part of the visit, both governments signed six agreements covering infrastructure development, climate action, agriculture, digital transformation, technology cooperation and space development, reinforcing broader strategic cooperation beyond trade.

Vietnam has also been seeking support from Japan and other partners to stabilize oil supplies as conflict in the Middle East pushes up crude prices and disrupts shipping routes.Under Japan’s $10 billion Power Asia Initiative, designed to strengthen energy self-reliance across Asia, Tokyo will help arrange crude oil supplies for Vietnam’s Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Complex, one of the country’s most important energy facilities, Prime Minister Hung said.

Takaichi is also scheduled to meet To Lam and senior Communist Party leadership later on Saturday and deliver a keynote address at Vietnam National University.Her speech is expected to mark a decade since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe introduced Japan’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” strategy, a regional framework aimed at strengthening rules-based order, maritime security and economic cooperation across Asia.

Vietnam has publicly supported Japan’s regional initiatives, including the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Vision, aligning them with ASEAN’s broader Indo-Pacific outlook and emphasizing international law, regional stability and balanced strategic autonomy.Hung said Vietnam viewed the framework as contributing positively to “peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and beyond.”

The visit reflects Tokyo’s broader effort to deepen strategic partnerships across Southeast Asia as competition over technology, trade routes, mineral access and energy security intensifies across the Indo-Pacific.

The Philippines becomes the 13th member of Pax Silica, a programme designed to safeguard the full spectrum of the technology supply chain, including critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, computing and data infrastructure.

The initiative forms part of the Trump administration’s broader economic strategy to reduce reliance on rival nations and deepen coordination among allied partners. Other participating countries include Australia, Finland, India, Qatar, South Korea and Singapore.

The planned industrial hub will be located within the Luzon Economic Corridor, a key economic zone encompassing Manila and surrounding regions with established manufacturing capacity. The Philippines, Japan and the United States have also committed to increasing infrastructure investment in the corridor under a trilateral framework agreement.

“It is intended to serve as a staging point for a purpose-built platform for allied manufacturing,” the State Department said, adding that both countries aim to reinforce supply chains across semiconductors, electronics and other critical sectors.

The project underscores strengthening ties between Manila and Washington under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has moved to deepen cooperation with the United States.

The Philippines, a former U.S. colony, has also taken on strategic importance in Washington’s efforts to counter China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea.

During his stay in Japan, Macron signed a cooperation roadmap covering critical minerals and defense, and held talks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, alongside a meeting with the imperial couple.

He also praised Europe’s “predictability,” in comments widely interpreted as a contrast with recent U.S. policy decisions.The remarks followed criticism from Trump, who described France as “very unhelpful” in the Iran conflict and made personal jibes at Macron.

The exchange highlights growing transatlantic friction as the war continues to reshape global alliances.Macron’s visit to South Korea comes amid heightened geopolitical and economic uncertainty, particularly linked to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy supplies.

The waterway’s effective closure has driven up oil prices and strained import-dependent economies across Asia.South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called for deeper cooperation with France in an opinion article, emphasizing collaboration in artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, hydrogen technologies and space.

“In an increasingly fragmented and uncertain international environment, partnerships between democratic nations are becoming strategically essential,” Lee wrote.

Seoul has already introduced a fuel price cap to cushion the economic impact of rising energy costs, marking its first such intervention since 1997.Macron’s itinerary in South Korea includes a bilateral summit with Lee, participation in an economic forum, and a visit to a Korean War memorial honoring French troops.

The trip also features cultural engagements, including a dinner with figures from the country’s film and music industries.

The visit underscores France’s effort to deepen ties in the Indo-Pacific while navigating diplomatic strains with Washington over the direction and handling of the Iran conflict.

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are stepping into a US-led technology partnership aimed at securing AI and semiconductor supply chains while accelerating the Middle East’s transition to a digital economy.

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are set to formally join a United States-led initiative designed to strengthen artificial intelligence and semiconductor supply chains. The move reflects growing regional alignment around technology-driven economic growth and long-term security.

The initiative, known as Pax Silica, brings together countries with complementary industrial strengths to protect critical technology ecosystems. It focuses on semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, data infrastructure, and access to key minerals.

Qatar is expected to join the framework within days, followed shortly by the UAE. Their participation highlights a new phase of regional cooperation centered on technology rather than traditional geopolitical divisions.

The addition of Gulf states to the initiative signals increasing trust and shared economic priorities. It also reflects efforts to integrate Middle Eastern economies into global technology networks.

Pax Silica includes countries such as Israel, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Britain, and Australia. The alliance is structured as a coalition of capabilities rather than a traditional political bloc.

Each member contributes based on its industrial strengths, innovation capacity, and strategic assets. This approach allows flexible collaboration while supporting mutual economic resilience.

US officials describe the initiative as a practical framework rather than a symbolic agreement. Its goal is to translate shared values into coordinated action across supply chains.

For Qatar and the UAE, participation represents a shift toward a technology-focused economic model. Both countries are actively diversifying beyond hydrocarbons through digital infrastructure and innovation investment.

The initiative aligns closely with national strategies aimed at developing artificial intelligence, advanced computing, and smart infrastructure. These efforts support sustainable growth and global competitiveness.

Pax Silica also seeks to reduce dependence on rival suppliers by strengthening trusted partnerships. Secure supply chains are increasingly seen as essential to economic stability and national security.

The announcement comes alongside growing regional interest in critical minerals and advanced manufacturing. These sectors are viewed as foundational to future technology leadership.

Discussions within the group include modernizing trade and logistics routes using advanced technology. Projects such as the India Middle East Europe Corridor are being explored to enhance connectivity.

The initiative also emphasizes protection of critical infrastructure from disruption. Coordinated policy and shared standards are key elements of this strategy.

Regular meetings are planned to expand membership and advance joint projects. This ongoing engagement supports momentum and accountability among participants.

Regional analysts say the move positions the Gulf as an emerging technology hub. Strategic investment and international collaboration are accelerating this transformation.

Israel’s participation alongside Gulf states highlights the economic potential of cross-regional cooperation. Technology is increasingly serving as a bridge for pragmatic partnerships.

The initiative is also expected to attract private sector investment. Companies benefit from clearer supply chain security and coordinated regulatory approaches.

As global demand for AI and semiconductors grows, alliances like Pax Silica are gaining importance. They help ensure reliable access to critical technologies.

Overall, Qatar and the UAE joining the initiative marks a positive step toward a diversified, innovation-driven Middle East. The partnership strengthens global supply chains while supporting regional economic transformation.

Balochistan’s modern history is inseparable from the manner in which it entered Pakistan.

On December 10, the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Islamabad, Natalie Baker, announced that the U.S. Exim Bank had approved a package of $1.25 billion in financing to support mining operations at Reko Diq, one of the world’s richest untapped copper and gold deposits. On the surface, Washington framed the decision as a step toward securing global supply chains for critical minerals.

Islamabad portrayed it as a sign of renewed confidence in Pakistan’s investment climate. But for Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land but its poorest by every measure, the announcement landed like yet another reminder that its natural wealth is a prize others are free to carve up.

This Exim Bank financing flows directly after two MoUs were signed on September 8, 2025, between Pakistan and the United States for “critical minerals cooperation.” The military dominated Shehbaz Sharif government heralded the agreements as a milestone. But in Balochistan, they are yet another chapter in an old story: the extraction of Balochistan’s resources by outside powers, facilitated by a central government that treats the province not as a partner but as a colony.

For decades, Pakistan has perfected a model of imperial governance in Balochistan, which combines military control, political manipulation, and economic dispossession. What is new today is not the extraction but the identity of the extractors. The United States now joins China, whose multibillion-dollar projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) have already given Beijing expansive access to Balochistan’s ports, highways, and mineral deposits.

Pakistan’s rulers have turned Balochistan into a marketplace where global powers shop for resources while the people who live above those riches remain among the most deprived in South Asia.

Balochistan’s modern history is inseparable from the manner in which it entered Pakistan. After the forced accession of 1948, the province was governed with suspicion and repression. Islamabad treated Baloch aspirations for autonomy as rebellion, not politics. The result is a province where the most powerful institution is not the provincial assembly but the Quetta cantonment, whose writ supersedes that of any civilian office.

Even today, Balochistan’s political leadership is crafted in military corridors of Rawalpindi and the condonement at Quetta. The current chief minister, Sarfaraz Bugti, is widely viewed as a product of the military establishment, who is another local administrator empowered to manage dissent rather than address the province’s material deprivation. The result is a governance system more interested in securing resource corridors than building schools, hospitals, or representative institutions.

Under this militarized order, resource extraction has been carefully organized to ensure that wealth flows outward to Pakistan’s dominant province, Punjab, and to foreign partners courted by the military-led state. Balochistan’s natural gas from Sui fueled Pakistan’s industrial growth for decades, yet most Baloch households cook on firewood.

Today, its copper and gold fields promise to enrich foreign corporations and deliver revenue to Islamabad, while the communities living in the shadow of these mines remain jobless, landless, and under surveillance.

Even menial jobs at major projects like security guards, cleaners, construction labor, are routinely filled by workers imported from Punjab. The message is unmistakable that the state does not merely extract from Balochistan, it excludes Baloch people from even the crumbs of that extraction.

The rush by both China and the U.S. for access to Balochistan’s minerals reflects how Pakistan’s ruling elite has repositioned the province within global competition. Beijing’s footprint was first to expand, anchored by the Gwadar port and a series of infrastructure and mining agreements.

CPEC promised development but delivered a model where Chinese companies received generous concessions, security cordons were erected to protect foreign workers, and local fishing communities were pushed to the margins.

Now, Washington enters the scene, not as a counterweight to China’s influence but as another partner in Pakistan’s long tradition of opaque, extractive deals. It reflects a bipartisan plunder with Pakistan inviting multiple patrons to mine a region whose own residents are denied the most basic political and economic rights.

The most striking thing about Balochistan is how starkly its material reality contradicts its mineral wealth. Despite being mineral rich in every aspect, the province ranks at the bottom of every development index in Pakistan. For instance, the poverty appears near-universal with 71 percent of the provincial population living in multidimensional poverty. It is nearly double the national average of 38 percent and in districts like Awaran, Kharan, and Panjgur, even exceeds 80 percent.

Likewise, education is in an equally dire state. Literacy hovers around 40–44 percent, the lowest in the country, with female literacy dropping below 25 percent in many rural districts. More than 60 percent of Balochistan’s children are out of school. These are not statistics of a neglected province; they are the metrics of deliberate underdevelopment.

The story is same across healthcare with the province recording the highest maternal mortality ratio of 785 deaths per 100,000 live births. It is abysmal compared to the national average of 186.

Nevertheless, the new U.S. financing for Reko Diq along with the other critical mineral MoU is significant not because it marks a shift in Washington’s policy but because it reveals a continuity in Pakistan’s own governing logic of treating Balochistan as a frontier to exploit.

The province is secured by force, governed through proxies, and opened to whichever foreign power is willing to invest billions with no questions asked about political rights or local consent.

Even when the government speaks of “benefit-sharing,” it does not specify it that the benefit is for Punjabis and Punjabi military and political elite that dominates the levers of power in Pakistan. As such, it is not partnership but a plunder with legal paperwork.

The tragedy is not just that Balochistan’s resources are being plundered. It is that this plunder is now bipartisan, endorsed by Islamabad, welcomed by Washington and Beijing, and justified in the name of development that never arrives.

For the people of Balochistan, the empire has simply added new partners. The loot continues. The province remains impoverished. And the world’s most powerful countries now share in the spoils of a land whose own residents have yet to taste the prosperity lying beneath their feet.

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not reflect Milli Chronicle’s point-of-view.