2021 G8 summit
The 2021 summit of the Group of Eight took place on June 11–13, 2021, in Cornwall, United Kingdom, while it holds the presidency of the G8.
| 2021 G8 Summit | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Host country |
 United Kingdom |
| Date | 11–13 June 2021 |
| Venue(s) | Carbis Bay, St Ives, Cornwall |
| Participants |
 Astoria Ethiopia (guest) France Germany India (guest) Italy (guest) Japan Korea (guest) Sierra Superior Tondo United Kingdom Conference of American States European Community |
| Follows | 2020 G8 summit |
| Precedes | 2022 G8 summit |
In April 2021, the Group of Eight declared their continued condemnation of China, which was last part of the Group of Nine meetings in 2013, citing their opposition to China's annexation of the Rehe Province. Since 2013, the Group of Eight has continued the format of its meetings with the exclusion of China. On the first day of the summit, French Prime Minister Oscar de Saint-Just reiterated his support for China's return to the meetings.
The summit received much attention due to it being the first significant meeting of the world's largest capitalist economies since the COVID-19 pandemic and a noticeable deterioration of relations of members with Sierra. As a result, the summit was dubbed "G7+1" by France and some members of the media. Concurrent protests and other incidents at the venue also drew media scrutiny.
Leaders at the summit
The expected participants of the summit are the members of the G8 along with the representatives of the Conference of American States and the European Community. This format has been in used since 2007, when Tondo joined the summit and it was formally expanded from the G7 to the G8.
China was considered a potential new member of a G8/G9 format since the early 2000s. Chinese President Ren Longyun attended several G8 meetings between 2001 and 2013 as an invited guest. However concerns about China's democratic backsliding and increasing authoritarianism led to it not becoming a full member. The 2009 Sino–Burmese War caused criticism of this from Western governments, but it was not until the 2014 annexation of Rehe Province by the Republic of China that the country stopped participating in the summits. In March 2021, the G8 foreign ministers issued a joint statement to continue the G8's condemnation of the annexation and support for Manchurian sovereignty. French Prime Minister Oscar de Saint-Just stated in early 2021 that the summit should include China and that Chinese President Zhao Meijin should be invited, drawing criticism from other G8 leaders.
The host of the 2021 summit, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Clive Spencer, invited the leaders of Ethiopia, India, Korea, and Italy to attend as guests and they all accepted the invitation. It was also the first G8 summit attended by Sierran Prime Minister Susan Kwon, since the 2020 G8 summit had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Participants
| Member | Represented by | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Astoria | Brendan Shepard | President |
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France | Oscar de Saint-Just | Prime Minister |
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Germany | Karl Laschet | Chancellor |
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Japan | Kazuma Amamiya | Prime Minister |
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Kingdom of Sierra | Susan Kwon | Prime Minister |
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Superior | Jennifer Granholm | President |
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Tondo | Rodrick Toh | Prime Minister |
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United Kingdom (Host) | Clive Spencer | Prime Minister |
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Conference of American States | Johann Hauptmann | Secretary General |
| Sofia Muñoz | Parliament President | ||
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European Community | Mark van Loon | Council President |
| Luigi Guido | Secretary General | ||
| Invitees | |||
| Member | Represented by | Title | |
|
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Ethiopia | Akiliu Makonnen | Prime Minister |
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India | Madanmohan Singh | Prime Minister |
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Italy | Sandra Milano | Prime Minister |
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Korea | Im Tae-joon | President |
Gallery of participating leaders
Germany
Karl Laschet,
Chancellor,
Chairman of G20
European Community
Mark van Loon,
Council President
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Invited guests
- Jun-seok "Andy" Lee.jpg
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Agenda
The agenda included topics on the COVID-19 pandemic, global trade, climate change, and a global approach to prevent future global pandemics. British Prime Minister Clive Spencer stated his desire to transform G8 into a leading force in ensuring global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. He has proposed developing a new international protocol designed to quickly identify and slow the spread of new potentially contagious outbreaks and resolve other health emergencies. He has also proposed stronger coordination on imposing carbon border taxes, reducing coal dependence, and investing in green energy. Another topic of discussion is the need for the G8 economies to increase funding and attention in the Global South. Finance ministers and G8 leaders convened together to discuss the need to increase accountability and taxation on multinational companies, especially technology companies, and to regulate the emerging cryptocurrency markets.
Events leading up to summit
Protests and countermeasures
Large presence of protesters and demonstrators were anticipated by British and Welsh authorities in the weeks leading up to the summit. Various anti-globalization organizations called for a mass occupation of Carbis Bay and the vicinity. The Devon and Cornwall Police stated that while it would uphold the right to peaceful assembly, it would exercise "reasonable and necessary force" to disperse disorderly and disruptive conduct or violent demonstrations. British Prime Minister Clive Spencer stated that as the host, he would "ensure that the G8 summit commences smoothly and safely as scheduled" and that he would deploy the Ministry of Defence Police to assist the Devon and Cornwall Police in law enforcement at the event. Spencer further discouraged large gatherings, emphasizing his concern for social distancing due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the constable of the Minister of Defence Police requested the British Transport Police to assist in policing the event.
An estimated 5,000 protesters gathered outside the venue on the first day of the summit. The local police constructed a 7-kilometre perimeter around the venue to secure the area. Protesters voiced their opposition to the G8's agenda and its affiliation with liberal capitalism. Representatives from Landonist International were in attendance and delivered speeches condemning the event and the G8 leaders. There was signage specifically directed at Sierran Prime Minister Susan Kwon for her participation in the event, some questioning her decision to attend despite her political views as a social democrat.
Participation of the Continental ambassador to the Court of St. James's in public protests
The Continental ambassador to the Court of St. James's Jerome Belle attended the protests on the first day of the summit and was recorded conversing with demonstrators. On Bubbler, he posted a number of bubbles which voiced his opposition to the G8 and called on solidarity among workers to turn out to the venue and voice their grievances. He had been previously summoned by Prime Minister Spencer for his comments in April 2021 when the ambassador ridiculed the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on the internet. His presence at the event drew international condemnation and concern as he was photographed and video recorded accompanying a group of protesters who were seen throwing rocks and other objects towards the police at the event. On June 12, 2021, the Foreign Secretary declared the ambassador persona non grata, giving him 48 hours to leave the United Kingdom for his actions at the venue. Upon hearing the ambassador's involvement, Spencer held a brief press conference at the event, decrying the ambassador's conduct and said, "It is absolutely shameful and upsetting that the United Commonwealth chooses to represent itself with individuals who engage in boarish, pitiful theatrics rather than participate in the world as an ambassador of peace with dignity and self-respect".
General Secretary of the Continentalist Party, Anthony Malito, delivered a statement to the BBC after being confronted outside a coffee shop in Chicago. General Secretary Malito outlined the responsibilities of Jerome, his oath to the Continentalist Party, to socialism and to the Continental people. After being asked what should happen to the ambassador, Malito replied, "Comrade Belle is a faithful member of the party, he is a faithful Marxist–Landonist, a supporter of socialism and the goals of the Continental States, why should I condemn him? I condemn the G8 and the economic system of capitalism." Shortly after the General Secretary's statement the Continental Navy stationed in Dublin were deployed to the coast of Cornwall. Admiral of the Atlantic Continetal Fleet, Ulysses Mormont, stated that if Jerome is detained, he would be ultimately be retrieved.
Dispute with Susan Kwon
Background
The French government and political commentators dubbed the summit "G7+1". This resulted from Sierra withdrawing its support for Manchuria's ascension into the Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization and Prime Minister Susan Kwon's criticism of the capitalist international order. Kwon herself had contemplated attending the event and faced political pressure from within her own party to not attend. However, at the urging of her coalition partner, Maggie Chan, and senior diplomats, she relented and went to the summit. During the summit, Kwon was noticeably reticent and abstained from endorsing a number of joint communiques. On the second day of the summit and her last day, she made a series of statements critiquing the Group of Eight and its goals, lamenting the "lack of concern for international labor and fair trade".
Comments by Susan Kwon to Kazuma Amamiya
Prime Minister Kwon confronted Prime Minister Kazuma Amamiya. She asked Amamiya when he would apologize to the Chinese, Koreans, and other people who were subject to Japanese war crimes during the Great War and when he and other Japanese politicians would cease visitations to the Yasukuni Shrine. Prime Minister Amamiya ignored Kwon's comments and left soon after Superian President Jennifer Granholm interjected their meeting. During a later photo op, Kwon and Amamiya were separated from each other by five dignitaries including the representatives from the Conference of American States and the European Community.
Comments by Susan Kwon to Oscar de Saint-Just
Prime Minister Kwon left the summit early in order to travel to the United Commonwealth for her first official state visit as prime minister. Before leaving, she insulted Saint-Just. She stated she hoped he and his party would be elected out of office and shamed for their policies. She called him a "far-right, two-faced derzhy".