French President Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe highlighted some joint priorities for the French G7 Presidency and the Japanese G20 Presidency in 2019, Tuesday 23 April, at a meeting in Paris to prepare for the next international meetings.
Referring to Japan as a “loyal friend in good times and in storms”, Mr Macron pointed to the “same ambition” of France and Japan “to rebuild confidence in the multilateral system” despite the current obstacles and deadlocks.
A way of referring to, but without naming, the violations of the WTO system caused by the tariff tensions between the United States and China or the questioning of the Paris Climate Agreement and the Iranian nuclear deal by Washington.
Between Osaka, where the G20 summit will take place in June, and Biarritz, which will host the G7 summit at the end of August, France and Japan want to “rebuild confidence in an open, balanced and fair multilateral system”, Mr Macron said. The European Union, Japan and the United States are currently working on a joint response to the challenges facing the multilateral trading system and trade-distorting practices.
On digital issues, the French President welcomed the Japanese proposal to work on “a data governance initiative” to build trust between stakeholders. He recalled that the French Presidency of the G7 intends to make progress in “the fight against hate and illegal content, the regulation of online platforms and the need to guarantee infrastructure security” (see EUROPE 12176/11). Not to mention the search for an international solution to the taxation of digital giants.
In addition, Mr Macron mentioned “the same willingness to work on climate emergency issues”, as “our young people encourage us to act faster and stronger”. Referring to the “decisive” UN summit in September, which could raise the global ambition in the fight against climate change, he put forward “a common mandate to improve energy efficiency standards, speed up international climate mobilisation, and build quality infrastructure”.
Finally, France and Japan want progress at the international level in the fight against inequality, both between women and men and in terms of income and health inequalities between rich and less developed countries.
For his part, Mr Abe also wants to have “in-depth exchanges” on North Korea. Having started his European tour in Paris, he will attend the EU/Japan Summit in Brussels on Thursday 25 April. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)