Litmus test for G7 unity at Biarritz
By Liu Lingling
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Biarritz (People's Daily) - The 2019 G7 summit started on Saturday in the seaside town of Biarritz in southern France where leaders from seven of the world’s major developed countries got together to discuss a number of subjects, hoping to reach a consensus on the contentious issues. 

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Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) speaks with France's President Emmanuel Macron during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit on August 24, 2019. (Photo: AFP)

International issues such as climate change, Iran nuclear crisis, trade disputes, Brexit and the digital tax will dominate the three-day summit in the resort town. However, with all these controversial topics that the G7 members are difficult to come to an agreement upon, it is expected that this year’s summit will not achieve important outcomes and make the group more amorphous. 

People still remember the G7 summit in 2018 which ended with US President Donald Trump leaving early and disavowing the final communique. According to French media, there won't be a joint communique this year to avoid a wide range of disputes.

One of the hot button issues will be the Iran nuclear issue. While receiving Donald Trump on the first day of G7, French President Emmanuel Macron, reaffirmed the necessity to save the Iran nuclear agreement, while Donald Trump said nothing about this apart from thanking the French people for the welcome.

The digital tax is another stumbling block between the United States and France. The French government has decided to impose a digital service tax on US tech giants, saying these companies are paying immensely low taxes. Just before his arrival in France, Donald Trump told the press that the US will take tit-for-tat steps on French wine. 

Besides, Brexit could be another daunting task. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made visits to Berlin and Paris on Wednesday and Thursday, seeking support to change the "backstop" regulating the border between British Northern Ireland and Ireland, but both countries turned down Johnson's proposals. 

“One thing I will not co-operate on is no deal.” said Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, at a press meeting held on 24th August, before the official meeting of G7. He reiterated that a no-deal Brexit is not acceptable to the EU but they stand ready to “listen to ideas that are operational, realistic and acceptable to all EU member states”. Mr Tusk and Mr Johnson are due to meet on Sunday to discuss Brexit.

In addition, the demonstrations in Biarritz and nearby places added to tensions during the summit. The protesters arrived days earlier and gathered in Biarritz. To prevent violence, 13,200 police officers and gendarmes have been mobilized to secure the G7 summit, turning this city into a fortress.