France has invited the leaders of India, South Korea, Brazil and Kenya to participate in the G7 leaders' summit scheduled for June 15-17 in Evian-les-Bains, Paris officials said, framing the move as an attempt to broaden international support for measures aimed at correcting global economic imbalances.
At the centre of Paris' push is an effort to avert what it characterises as the risk of a "massive financial crisis". To that end, French officials say the summit will press China - notable in its absence - to stimulate domestic demand and dial back exports that Paris views as destabilising. The agenda also includes appeals to the United States to reduce its fiscal deficits, and to Europe to increase production and save less.
Those longer-term economic aims are likely to contend with immediate and pressing challenges. French officials warned the summit will take place against the backdrop of an energy shock linked to the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran, and noted that the G7's relevance is increasingly being called into question.
"We don’t know where the Iran crisis will be by June," an adviser to President Emmanuel Macron said. "However it evolves, we will have to address its energy and economic consequences."
Chinese leaders will not attend the Evian meeting, French officials confirmed, and Beijing continues to question the legitimacy of the G7 as a "club of rich countries." Paris, they said, had tried to invite Beijing, according to diplomatic sources, but will now pursue engagement through separate channels.
One official argued it was in China's interest to avoid a confrontational path. "The risk for China is to see global markets, and European markets, closing off to it," the official said. The same official also emphasised that the four invited countries are democracies and market economies that adhere to the rules of international cooperation.
Uncertainty also surrounds whether U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the summit. French officials highlighted that Trump's threats of tariffs have unsettled both allies and rivals as well as world markets. Commenting on the possibility of his absence, an official said: "I won’t make any predictions, but if Trump doesn’t come, it also makes sense - it’s a new international reality and we need to organise ourselves accordingly."
With these dynamics in play - China absent, a potential energy shock from the Iran conflict, and uncertainty over participation by a key U.S. leader - organisers face a test in balancing immediate crisis response with the broader, structural objectives Paris wants to advance at the June summit.
Key information: Summit location - Evian-les-Bains; dates - June 15-17; invited leaders include India, South Korea, Brazil and Kenya; China will not attend; agenda focuses on global imbalances, domestic demand in China, U.S. deficits, and Europe's production and saving patterns.