Discussions about the Indo-Pacific — specifically China — were largely overshadowed at this year’s two-day Group of Seven leaders’ summit in Canada, with the focus squarely on the Israel-Iran conflict, adding to fears of disengagement from the region.
While the meeting in the Canadian Rockies’ resort area of Kananaskis in Alberta did offer the G7 a chance to further align on peripheral issues, the gathering yielded few concrete deliverables at a time of growing challenges to the rules-based order, raising doubts about the group’s significance amid an increasingly cavernous divide between the U.S. and other members.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s hasty departure on the summit’s first day not only left the grouping without its top leader, it also resulted in a number of missed opportunities to both display unity and engage with allies and partners on key global and bilateral issues.
