Zelensky dominates summit as G7 leaders call out China

Volodymyr Zelensky made a scene-stealing accomplishment astatine the G7 acme successful Japan connected Saturday, arsenic satellite leaders issued a veiled informing to China.

The Ukrainian president arrived successful Hiroshima connected a French authorities plane, aft a stopover successful Saudi Arabia.

His hastily-organised sojourn prompted G7 leaders to contented a connection early, successful which they condemned Russia.

They besides warned against "economic coercion", which Beijing is accused of utilizing against respective countries.

This year's gathering of the world's richest democracies saw them extending invitations to respective emerging economies successful the alleged Global South, arsenic good arsenic India and Australia.

Top of the docket is the Ukraine war, and Mr Zelensky's last-minute quality has added heft and urgency to discussions - arsenic good arsenic prima power.

He arrived hours aft Washington said it would bid Ukrainian pilots connected American-made F-16 combatant jets and let allies to supply the precocious warplanes to Kyiv - a determination condemned by Russia but hailed by Mr Zelensky arsenic "historic".

For the erstwhile 24 hours, a "will helium oregon won't he" play implicit Mr Zelensky's travel to Japan dominated the quality cycle. News of his imaginable sojourn broke connected Friday and stole the limelight, conscionable arsenic leaders visited a bid memorial parkland successful Hiroshima.

But adjacent arsenic quality outlets scrambled to corroborate it, determination were confusing signals from Ukrainian officials connected whether the Ukrainian person was coming. It was a motion that, portion his sojourn was reportedly mooted weeks agone successful chats betwixt Mr Zelensky and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, the last determination was made abruptly.

Even his nonstop accomplishment clip was shrouded successful secrecy, until Japanese TV stations abruptly flashed unrecorded footage of him arriving astatine Hiroshima airdrome connected a level loaned to him by his adjacent state French President Emmanuel Macron.

Mr Zelensky was brisk upon touchdown, moving down the stairs into a waiting car and diving consecutive into one-on-one meetings with assorted satellite leaders, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who greeted him with a affable "You made it!".

Now that helium is here, Mr Zelensky's beingness not lone adds a zing to the placid diplomatic proceedings, it overshadows them.

But it is improbable the G7 leaders volition mind. Their sanctions truthful acold person failed to halt Russia's invasion, and Friday's pledge to "starve" Russia of resources for its "war machine" remains vague.

But with satellite leaders virtually lasting enarthrosis to enarthrosis with Mr Zelensky, the optics nonstop a steadfast connection to Moscow that they mean business.

The leaders besides sought to present a connection to Moscow's ally, China.

Besides addressing cardinal topics specified arsenic atomic non-proliferation and clime change, their associated last connection talked astir their committedness to the Indo-Pacific region, which they tried to show by inviting countries specified arsenic Indonesia, India and the Cook Islands.

They stressed their enactment of South East Asian and Pacific countries, which person been heavy wooed by Beijing, and called for a "free and unfastened Indo-Pacific" - rhetoric utilized successful the past successful effect to China's territorial claims successful the South China Sea.

More importantly, the leaders took a beardown stance against what they called "economic coercion" - utilizing commercialized to bully different countries - and called for China to "play by planetary rules".

Stressing their committedness to "economic resilience", they vowed to instrumentality steps to "reduce excessive dependences successful our captious proviso chains" - a notation to however the G7 countries are inactive inextricably linked to China successful trade.

But they besides said they wanted "constructive and unchangeable relations" with China and added that their polices were "not designed to harm China nor bash we question to thwart China's economical advancement and development".

China connected Saturday expressed "strong dissatisfaction" with the G7's associated statement, and complained to the acme organiser Japan, Beijing's overseas ministry said.

"The G7 insisted connected manipulating China-related issues, smearing and attacking China," a spokesperson for the overseas ministry said.

The G7 acme volition adjacent connected Sunday with Mr Zelensky, US President Joe Biden and Mr Kishida expected to speak.