The 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related summits kicked off in Indonesia's Jakarta on Tuesday (September 05, 2023), with the focus on establishing the region as an epicenter of economic growth. Addressing the opening ceremony, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, whose country is holding the rotating ASEAN chair this year, urged ASEAN to stay united and not be a proxy to any power. "Don't make our ship, ASEAN, become an arena of rivalry that causes damages to each other. Make our ship the foundation to build cooperation and create prosperity, stability and peace, not only for the region but also for the world," he said. During the next three days, leaders of ASEAN member nations are expected to discuss issues that would chart the future of ASEAN as a community and an institution. Read: President Shahabuddin in Indonesia to attend ASEAN Summit, East Asia Summit This includes steps to speed up the decision-making in crises and emergencies, as well as steps to bolster ASEAN's capacity to respond to emerging challenges in the region. The summit under Indonesia's ASEAN chairmanship this year is themed "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth." In the past decade, ASEAN's average annual growth reached 3.98 percent, above the global economic growth of 2.6 percent, showed ASEAN data. Founded in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Read: Southeast Asian leaders are besieged by thorny issues as they hold an ASEAN summit without Biden

President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Monday (September 04, 2023) left for Jakarta, Indonesia to attend the 43rd ASEAN Summit and 18th East Asia Summit to be held on September 5-7. A regular flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, carrying the President along with his spouse Prof Rebecca Sultana and other entourage members, departed from Hazrat Shahjalal (R.) International Airport (HSIA) for Jakarta at 8:30 am. Among others, Chairperson of Bangladesh National Advisory Committee on Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Saima Wazed and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will accompany the President during the visit. Read: Southeast Asian leaders are besieged by thorny issues as they hold an ASEAN summit without Biden Shahabuddin has been invited by the President of the Republic of Indonesia and ASEAN Chair for 2023 Joko Widodo, Press secretary Joynal Abedin said. With the theme of "Asean Matters: Epicentrum of Growth", the ASEAN Summit will be held with a hectic agenda for three days. The Bangladesh president, on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit, will also attend the 'East Asia Summit' slated for September 7. Alongside, the president will deliver the concluding speech on "Strengthening Regional Architecture to Support the Epicentrum of Growth from the Perspective of IORA" as the "Guest of Chair" there. He will also have separate bilateral meetings with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo and state leaders of Thailand, Malaysia and Timor-Leste. On September 6, the president will attend a 'Gala Dinner' to be hosted by the Indonesian president at Hutan Kota Gelora Bung Karno. Read: ASEAN’s collective market holds significant promise for Bangladesh’s economic growth: Momen Joko Widodo will chair 12 meetings during the 43rd ASEAN Summit. The ASEAN is an intergovernmental organization of 11 Southeast Asian countries - Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Timor Leste or East Timor. The ASEAN Summit is a biannual meeting held by its members. The Indonesian president will also chair the 18th East Asia Summit (EAS), which consists of 18 members, including the 10 ASEAN countries, the United States, the Russian Federation, New Zealand, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, and India, according to the ASEAN secretariat. The leaders of the Pacific Island Forum, the Prime Minister of Canada, the Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank (World Bank) are also reportedly planning to attend the ASEAN Summit. From Jakarta President Shahabuddin along with his spouse will will go to Singapore for a health check-up. He is expected to return home from Singapore on September 16, according to the revised schedule. Read: US Deputy Assistant Secretary Mira Resnick in Dhaka

Bangladesh thinks the group of major emerging economies — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) — should not be considered “platform of geopolitics”, but a supportive platform for emerging economies to help developing countries. “The developed countries should be happy that the BRICS emerging countries, who have resources, would like to help developing countries,” Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen told journalists at a media briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday, ahead of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to Johannesburg, South Africa to attend the BRICS Summit 2023. The briefing was arranged to highlight PM Hasina’s engagements at the BRICS Summit. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and Ministry Spokesperson Seheli Sabrin, among others, were present. Read: India is a mature govt, they can say something for regional interest: Momen Momen said it should be win-win for all the countries though some people speak more about the geopolitical tension for some reason. The BRICS will hold its 15th heads of state and government summit in Johannesburg from August 22 to 24. Momen, however, said the countries of the Global South are facing difficulties as many banks were expelled from the SWIFT, a bank messaging system for transacting dollars. “Many speak about de-dollarisation, but it is not easy. We don’t have much to comment on this,” he said. Read: BRICS Summit: Hasina, Modi likely to hold meeting on the sidelines “So, if the emerging countries support us with funding, the developed countries should be happy. In that case, their responsibilities will be shared. None is their enemy,” Momen added. Indian Prime Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are among the global leaders who are traveling to South Africa this week for the BRICS Summit. India and China are two core members of the BRICS nations, which also include Brazil, Russia and South Africa. A regular flight (EK 583) of the Emirates Airlines is scheduled to depart from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) with Prime Minister Hasina and her entourage members at 10:15 am on August 22. The flight will arrive at the O.R. Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, South Africa at 20:50 hrs after a short stopover at the Dubai International Airport. Read: US being profoundly vocal on human rights should hand over Bangabandhu’s self-confessed killer: Shahriar Alam The Prime Minister will be received by a minister-in-waiting of the South Africa government and High Commissioner of Bangladesh to South Africa at the airport from where Sheikh Hasina will be escorted to the Place of Residence, Radisson Blu Hotel Sandton Johannesburg. On her first day of engagement in Johannesburg, the Prime Minister will attend the Bangladesh Trade and Business Summit at 10 am at the Radisson Hotel and Convention Center on August 23. On the same day, she will attend and speak at the Bangladesh Envoys Conference in South Africa at the Palace of Residence at 12:30 pm. The Premier is likely to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President XI Jinping at Hotel Hilton, Sandton at 3:30 pm. Read: Busy schedule awaits PM Hasina during her BRICS visit to South Africa She will later attend a banquet and cultural show at the Gallagher Estate, Johannesburg. On August 24, the Prime Minister will attend the Friends of BRICS Leaders Dialogue (BRICS-Africa Outreach and the BRICS Plus Dialogues) to begin from 9 am at the Sandton Convention Centre. She is scheduled to deliver a speech at the summit for five minutes. On the sideline of the summit, the Prime Minister is expected to hold several bilateral meetings with President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Mozambique Filipe Jacinto Nyusi and President of the New Development Bank Dilma Vana Rousseff at the Sandton Convention Centre. She will attend a luncheon hosted by President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa. The Premier will attend a meeting of the community leaders on August 25. Sheikh Hasina will depart the O.R. Tambo International Airport by a flight (EK 762) of the Emirates Airlines at 13:40 pm (local time) and will arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8:40 pm on August 27 following a brief stopover at the Dubai International Airport. Read more: Bangladesh's inclusion in BRICS depends on members: Foreign Minister

The upcoming summit of BRICS, a group of major emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, holds significant implications for global geopolitics, reported Modern Diplomacy on Friday (August 11, 2023). The summit has its central agenda revolving around the launch of a common currency among the member nations, the report said, adding that the move, aimed at reducing the dominance of the U.S. Dollar in international trade, has the potential to reshape the geopolitical landscape and challenge American supremacy. "For decades, the U.S. Dollar has reigned supreme in global trade and transactions, affording the United States unparalleled economic and geopolitical leverage. The U.S. has been using dollar and economy as tools to coerce and pressurize its adversaries," it said. "Imposing sanctions was a common tool against its rivals to achieve political goals." 2023 BRICS Summit: Lot of interest in how new members are chosen and which countries would be eligible There has been a growing sentiment against the U.S. hegemony, supremacy and coercion. "The proposed launch of a BRICS common currency or de-dollarization aims to alter this status quo, potentially diminishing the American influence and power that is closely tied to the dollar's dominance," it said. "BRICS is a strong Alliance and plays a huge role in Global Trade and Investments, and above all, it is above American influence," it added. "BRICS is in a position to transform the global economy in total. This move represents a growing discontent with the U.S. dollar's global dominance and a push toward Eastern superiority." BRICS Summit: PM Hasina’s meetings on sidelines yet to be confirmed, says foreign ministry spokesperson

As the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa get ready to meet for the 15th BRICS summit, on August 22–24, observers have high hopes for what will come out of the meeting. It will be the first time that representatives of the five emerging economies will meet in person – in South Africa – since the COVID-19 pandemic. Many other countries are looking to BRICS as a way to help their own economies recover as well, according to an article published today by China Daily. It was shared by the Chinese embassy in Dhaka. Since the group’s growth is likely to be announced at the BRICS summit, there is a lot of interest in how new members are chosen and which countries would be eligible. The article quotes Philani Mthembu, executive director of the Institute for Global Dialogue at University of South Africa, saying the fact that the summit will be BRICS’ first physical meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic shows that the member countries are making progress towards recovery, even though the Ukraine war has affected all. BRICS Summit: PM Hasina’s meetings on sidelines yet to be confirmed, says foreign ministry spokesperson ‘BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development, and Inclusive Multilateralism’ is the theme of this year’s summit. Mthembu remarked on the multilateral aspect: “There is an acknowledgment that multilateralism has been in crisis in the last few years. It has not achieved the things it set out to do… One of the key focus areas in the theme is strengthening inclusive multilateralism. It is important that South Africa brings an African focus into the theme.” Kenyan scholar Cavince Adhere, who studies international relations and focuses on China-Africa development cooperation, said that African countries expect BRICS to give them more chances to trade and invest with member countries. PM Hasina formally invited to attend BRICS Summit in South Africa Noting that the people of the BRICS countries make up more than 40% of the world’s population as a whole, he said that access to these large markets could help many emerging economies in Africa grow and develop quickly. The China Daily article quoted Adhere as saying, “In an increasingly polarized world, BRICS can create an enabling avenue for African countries to fashion a more inclusive global economic and political order, which has been dominated by Western powers.” Opposition to BRICS proves BNP is against development of the country: Info Minister He said the fact that more than 40 countries have said they want to join BRICS at the summit shows how popular the group is, since most countries think that if they join, they can solve their development problems. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will attend the BRICS Summit 2023, the foreign ministry has confirmed. Bangladesh has received the formal invitation from the host South Africa. The summit will be hosted at the Sandton Convention Centre (SCC) in Johannesburg. Earlier, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen had said that Bangladesh is likely to become a member of BRICS in August this year. “BRICS leaders are thinking of taking some emerging economies – around eight new countries including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Bangladesh,” he told reporters. Bangladesh, India have stepped into new era that will help both economies: Shahriar Alam

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to visit Rome, Italy later this month to discuss bilateral issues and attend the UN Food Systems Summit. The 2023 UN Food Systems Stocktaking Moment will be held in Rome, Italy on July 24-26 at the premises of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It will be hosted by Italy in collaboration with the Rome-based UN Agencies (FAO, IFAD, WFP), the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, and the wider UN system. The Prime Minister is scheduled to be in Rome from July 23, said a diplomatic source. Also read: PM Hasina to visit Japan on April 25-28 She is likely to have a bilateral meeting with her Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni during the visit. PM Hasina will speak at the Food System Summit in Rome while her Italy visit is likely to see the signing of half a dozen bilateral documents in the areas of energy, migration, ICT and cyber security. Bangladesh and Italy have been discussing a possible memorandum of understanding (MoU ) on mobility and migration — to encourage regular migration and prevent irregular ones. “We want to go further in our cooperation on migration issues. In particular, creating and enlarging the existing legal channels or legal pathways for migration while stemming the irregular one,” Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Enrico Nunziata told UNB in an interview recently. Also read: PM leaves Geneva for home ending 3-day visit The envoy said the two countries have to deepen cooperation for preventing irregular migration, trafficking and so on. Ambassador Nunziata recalled one of the deliverables during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to Italy in 2020 — reinsertion of Bangladesh in the list of countries whose nationals can benefit from a quota for work. Talking about collaboration in the defence sector, he said there is possibility of collaboration and transfer of know-how as well on a win-win basis. “So this is another important sector.” The ambassador said a memorandum of understanding in the cultural sphere for programmes of cultural exchanges is also in the pipeline. Also read: PM to brief media on the outcome of her Switzerland visit on Wednesday The Italian ambassador also said they want to collaborate in the shipbuilding industry for the Navy or Coast Guard by sharing know-how and technologies with Bangladesh. “I mean that level of know-how that Bangladesh has not reached in shipbuilding yet. Together we can do more on that in shipbuilding as well as in other sectors.” The 2023 UN Food Systems Stocktaking Moment will build on the momentum of the 2021 Food Systems Summit and will create a conducive space for countries to review commitments to action that were made during the Summit, share stories of success and early signs of transformation, maintain the momentum for bold acceleration and bold action to further the resilience of food systems, advocate for their adaptation to climate change, ensure they contribute to communities’ resilience to further shocks and crises, and boost the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Read more: PM Hasina leaves for Geneva to attend World of Work Summit  

Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has returned home from Geneva, wrapping up her three-day official visit to Switzerland. A regular flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the prime minister and her entourage landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport early Saturday (June 17 at 1:55 am). Earlier, the flight took off from Geneva International Airport at 11:50am local time (3:50pm Bangladesh time) on Friday. The Prime Minister exchanged pleasentaries with the passengers in the flight and inquired about their well-beings. Read: PM leaves Geneva for home ending 3-day visit The PM went to Geneva on June 13 to attend the "World of Work Summit: Social Justice for All" held on June 14 and 15 in the Swiss city. She addressed the plenary session of 'World of Work Summit 2023' at Palais de Nations on Wednesday. The ILO's summit is a high-level forum for global voices to address the need for increased, coordinated and coherent action in support of social justice. The summit brought together over a dozen heads of state and government, high-level representatives from the United Nations, other international organizations, and employers’ and workers’ organizations. Read: Next general election to be held in time: PM Hasina tells Geneva reception Hasina also had two separate meetings with President of South Africa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa and President of Malta Dr George Vella. Besides, she held meetings separately with UNHCR chief Flippo Grandi, Prince Rahim Aga Khan, President of the Swiss Confederation Alain Berset and Director General of International Labour Organisation (ILO) Gilbert F. Houngbo there on the day. After the meeting with Swiss President Berset, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Knowledge and Skills enhancement between Bangladesh and Switzerland was signed. In the evening, the PM attended a dinner with high level dignitaries hosted by the ILO Director General at its headquarters. Read: WTO chief meets PM Hasina, wants Dhaka to reduce subsidies on fisheries On June 15, she joined “A talk at the WEF”, followed by a meeting with WEF founder Prof Klaus Schwab at WEF Office. She also addressed an event on “New Economy and Society in Smart Bangladesh” organised by the World Economic Forum (WEF) there. Besides, Qatar Minister of Labour Dr Ali Bin Samik Al Marri and WTO Director General Dr Okonjo-Iweala separately met her at her place of residence. Hasina also attended a civic reception in the evening. Read more: PM takes regular commercial flight on the way home from Geneva, exchanges pleasantries with passengers

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka for Geneva, Switzerland on Tuesday (June 13, 2023) morning to attend the two-day "World of Work Summit: Social Justice for All" to be held in the Swiss city on June 14-15. A commercial flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the prime minister departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10.01 am. The flight is scheduled to land at Geneva International airport at 5:30 pm local time (9:30 pm Bangladesh Time). On June 14, UNHCR chief Flippo Grandi will call on the prime minister at the bilateral room of Hotel President Wilson. Later the PM will call on President of the Swiss Confederation Alain Berset at Palais de Nations. After the call-on there will be a possibility of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Knowledge and Skills enhancement between Bangladesh and Switzerland. Read: Work together to sustain national development: PM Hasina tells Awami League members In the afternoon, the prime minister will address the Plenary of 'World of Work Summit 2023' at Palais de Nations. On her arrival there, she will be greeted by ADG and Regional Director of ILO. There will be a red carpet reception and Guard of Honour from the gate to the meeting venue. She will also have a call on with President of Malta Dr. George Vella. Read: PM Hasina wants greater cooperation between Bangladesh and Indian armies In the evening, the PM will attend a dinner with high level dignitaries hosted by the DG ILO at its headquarters. On June 15, she will attend the 'A talk at the WEF', followed by a meeting with founder of WEF Prof Klaus Schwab at WEF Office. There, she will address at the event on "New Economy and Society in Smart Bangladesh" organised by the World Economic Forum. In the evening, WTO DG Dr. Okonjo- Iweala will call on her at Hotel President Wilson. She will also attend a community event in the evening. Read: Volatile global situation likely to worsen further: PM Hasina tells parliament Hasina will leave Geneva at 11am on June 16 and she is expected to arrive in Dhaka in the early hours of June 17. "The World of Work Summit 2023: Social Justice for All" is a high-level forum for global voices to address the need for increased, coordinated and coherent action in support of social justice, according to organisers. It will provide an opportunity to discuss and inform the proposal to forge a Global Coalition for Social Justice, which was welcomed by the Governing Body of the International Labour Office at its 347th Session. A number of high-level guests, including former President of France, Francois Hollande, former President of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela, and the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, as well as representatives of employers and workers, will address the conference. Read: President Erdogan and PM Hasina vow to take Dhaka-Ankara ties to new height

The United Kingdom will hold a global artificial intelligence (AI) summit this autumn to assess the technology's "most significant risks." A number of alarming warnings have been issued concerning the possibly existential threat that AI poses to humans, reports BBC. Regulators throughout the world are trying to create new laws to mitigate that danger. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that he wants the United Kingdom to lead efforts to guarantee that the advantages of artificial intelligence are "harnessed for the good of humanity." Also read: Regulation must to control AI for surveillance, disinformation: rights experts "AI has an incredible potential to transform our lives for the better, but we need to make sure it is developed and used in a way that is safe and secure," he said. The summit's attendees are currently unknown, but the UK government stated that it will "bring together key countries, leading tech companies, and researchers to agree on safety measures to evaluate and monitor the most significant risks from AI." Speaking to reporters in Washington, DC, where Sunak is meeting with President Biden on the matter, the prime minister stated that the UK was the "natural place" to lead the discourse on AI. Downing Street pointed to the prime minister's recent talks with the CEOs of key AI businesses as proof of this. It also mentioned the 50,000 individuals engaged in the sector, which is worth £3.7 billion to the UK. Also read: UNESCO reveals new AI roadmap for classrooms 'Too ambitious' Some have questioned the UK's ability to lead in this sector. According to Yasmin Afina, a research fellow at Chatham House's Digital Society Initiative, the UK "could realistically be too ambitious." She stated that the EU and US had "stark differences in governance and regulatory approaches" that the UK would struggle to reconcile, as well as a number of existing global efforts, such as the UN's Global Digital Compact, that had "stronger foundational bases already." Afina went on to say that the UK was home to none of the world's most innovative AI startups. Also read: How to Use AI Tools to Get Your Dream Job "Instead of trying to play a role that would be too ambitious for the UK and risks alienating it, the UK should perhaps focus on promoting responsible behaviour in the research, development and deployment of these technologies," she told the BBC. Deep unease Since the chatbot ChatGPT first came on the scene in November, astounding people with its ability to answer complicated queries in a human-sounding manner, interest in AI has skyrocketed. It can do so because of the enormous processing capacity of AI systems, which has sparked widespread concern, the report said. Geoffrey Hinton and Prof Yoshua Bengio, two of the three so-called godfathers of AI, have been among those to issue concerns about how the technology they helped design has a high potential for disaster. Read more: China warns of artificial intelligence risks, calls for beefed-up national security measures These concerns have fueled calls for effective AI legislation, while many uncertainties remain about what that would include and how it would be implemented. Regulatory race The European Union is drafting an Artificial Intelligence Act, but even in the best-case scenario, it will take two and a half years to become law. Last month, EU technology head Margrethe Vestager said it would be "way too late" and that the EU was working on a voluntary code for the industry with the US, which they anticipated would be completed within weeks. China has also taken the lead in developing AI rules, including ideas requiring corporations to notify users anytime an AI algorithm is employed, the report added. Read more: ChatGPT's chief to testify before US Congress as concerns grow about artificial intelligence's risks The UK government published their opinions in a White Paper in March, which was criticized for having "significant gaps." However, Marc Warner, a member of the government's AI Council, has suggested a stricter approach, telling the BBC that some of the most powerful kinds of AI may eventually have to be outlawed. According to Matt O'Shaughnessy, visiting fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, there was nothing the UK could do about the fact that others were leading the charge on AI legislation - but it could still play an essential role. "The EU and China are both large markets that have proposed consequential regulatory schemes for AI - without either of those factors, the UK will struggle to be as influential," he said. Read more: AI & Future of Jobs: Will Artificial Intelligence or Robots Take Your Job? But he added the UK was an "academic and commercial hub", with institutions that were "well-known for their work on responsible AI". "Those all make it a serious player in the global discussion about AI," he told the BBC.

The symbolism will be palpable when leaders of the world's rich democracies sit down in Hiroshima, a city whose name evokes the tragedy of war, to tackle a host of challenges including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and rising tensions in Asia. The attention on the war in Europe comes just days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy completed a whirlwind trip to meet many of the Group of Seven leaders now heading to Japan for the summit starting Friday. That tour was aimed at adding to his country's weapons stockpile and building political support ahead of a widely anticipated counteroffensive to reclaim lands occupied by Moscow's forces. Also Read: G7 finance leaders vow to contain inflation, strengthen supply chains but avoid mention of China “Ukraine has driven this sense of common purpose” for the G-7, said Matthew P. Goodman, senior vice president for economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He said the new commitments Zelenskyy received just ahead of the summit could push members of the bloc to step up their support even further. “There’s a kind of peer pressure that develops in forums like this,” he explained. G-7 leaders are also girding for the possibility of renewed conflict in Asia as relations with China deteriorate. They are increasingly concerned, among other things, about what they see as Beijing's growing assertiveness, and fear that China could could try to seize Taiwan by force, sparking a wider conflict. China claims the self-governing island as its own and regularly sends ships and warplanes near it. Also Read: South Korea and Japan use G-7 to push improvement in ties long marked by animosity Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also hopes to highlight the risks of nuclear proliferation during the meeting in Hiroshima, the site of the world’s first atomic bombing. The prospect of another nuclear attack has been crystalized by nearby North Korea’s nuclear program and spate of recent missile tests, and Russia's threats to use nuclear weapons in its war in Ukraine. China, meanwhile, is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal from an estimated 400 warheads today to 1,500 by 2035, according to Pentagon estimates. Concerns about the strength of the global economy, rising prices and the debt limit crisis in the U.S. will be high on leaders' minds. G-7 finance ministers and central bank chiefs meeting ahead of the summit pledged to enforce sanctions against Russia, tackle rising inflation, bolster financial systems and help countries burdened by heavy debts. Also Read: G7 countries should end supporting fossil fuels, accelerating transition to renewable energy: CPD The G-7 includes the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and Italy, as well as the European Union. That group is also lavishing more attention on the needs of the Global South — a term to describe mostly developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America — and has invited countries ranging from South American powerhouse Brazil to the tiny Cook Islands in the South Pacific. By broadening the conversation beyond the world's richest industrialized nations, the group hopes to strengthen political and economic ties while shoring up support for efforts to isolate Russia and stand up to China's assertiveness around the world, analysts say. “Japan was shocked when scores of developing countries were reluctant to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine last year," said Mireya Solís, director of the Center for East Asian Policy Studies at The Brookings Institution. “Tokyo believes that this act of war by a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council is a direct threat to the foundations of the postwar international system.” Getting a diverse set of countries to uphold principles like not changing borders by force advances Japan's foreign policy priorities, and makes good economic sense since their often unsustainable debt loads and rising prices for food and energy are a drag on the global economy, she continued. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be attending. His country, which is overtaking China as the world's most populous and sees itself as a rising superpower, is playing host to a meeting of the much broader group of G-20 leading economies later this year. For host Kishida, this weekend's meeting is an opportunity to spotlight his country’s more robust foreign policy. The Japanese prime minister made a surprise trip to Kyiv in March, making him the country's first postwar leader to travel to a war zone, a visit freighted with symbolism given Japan's pacifist constitution but one that he was under domestic pressure to take. Another notable inclusion in Hiroshima is South Korea, a fellow U.S. ally that has rapidly drawn closer to its former colonial occupier Japan as their relations thawed in the face of shared regional security concerns. U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to hold a separate three-way meeting with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts. Sung-Yoon Lee, an East Asia expert at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, said that meeting sends a message to China, Russia and North Korea of “solidarity among the democracies in the region and their resolve to stand up to the increasingly threatening autocracies.” Biden had been expected to make a historic stop in Papua New Guinea and then travel onward to Australia after the Hiroshima meeting, but he scrapped those latter two stops Tuesday to focus on the debt limit debate back in Washington. The centerpiece of the Australia visit was a meeting of the Quad, a regional security grouping that the U.S. sees as a counterweight to China’s actions in the region. Beijing has criticized the group as an Asian version of the NATO military alliance. The decision to host the G-7 in Hiroshima is no accident. Kishida, whose family is from the city, hopes the venue will underscore Japan's “commitment to world peace” and build momentum to “realize the ideal of a world without nuclear weapons,” he wrote on the online news site Japan Forward. The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people, then dropped a second on Nagasaki three days later, killing another 70,000. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, effectively ending World War II and decades of Japanese aggression in Asia. The shell and skeletal dome of one of the riverside buildings that survived the Hiroshima blast are the focal point of the Peace Memorial Park, which leaders are expected to visit.