Background information: The ins and outs of the G8. Xinhuanet reported on May 30 that the G8 summit will be held in Evian, a small town in eastern France, from June 2 to 3.

The official website of the G8 Summit recently introduced the history and current situation of the G8: 1. When and who initiated the establishment of the G8?

In 1975, the then French President d'Estaing invited the leaders of Germany, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy for a meeting at the Chateau Rambouillet on the outskirts of Paris.

According to the French president's vision, this was an informal meeting of a small committee to discuss the world economy, which was then affected by the oil crisis.

The leaders participating in the meeting unanimously decided that this meeting would be held every year and invited Canada to participate.

In this way, the Group of Seven was formed in 1976.

At the Birmingham Summit in 1998, Russia officially joined, thus forming the G8.

2. What is the composition of the Group of Eight? Why is it eight instead of more or less?

The members of the G8 include Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and Russia.

The EU also sends the EU rotating presidency and the President of the European Commission to participate in the G8 meetings.

A long-term opening of the G8 to other countries is not yet on the agenda.

However, since 1996, members of the G8 have intensified their dialogue with other countries, groups of countries or institutions, especially the countries of the South.

Some countries are invited to attend meetings. For example, during the Kananaskis Summit, some African countries were invited to attend meetings on the New Partnership for Africa's Development.

3. What is the role of the G8?

Some people think that the G8 can control everything, while others think that because the G8 has such broad control, it is actually useless because it does not have any actual decision-making power.

However, the role of the G8 is real and very important.

First of all, it has powerful coordination and promotion functions, especially in the economic field.

In addition, tacit understanding among the G8 members is a necessary condition for the normal functioning of many international institutions.

4. How does the G8 operate?

The G8 is neither an institution nor an international organization.

It does not have legal personality and does not have a permanent secretariat.

It cannot take any coercive measures.

Therefore, it does not compete with the United Nations, the WTO or other international financial institutions.

This is a club of industrialized countries that coordinates countries' views and positions on international political and economic issues through regular meetings and consultations.

The communique issued after the G8 ministerial meeting or the summit of heads of state and government is precisely to demonstrate this united determination and the political or financial commitment that the G8 is willing to make.

5. How did France prepare for the 2003 summit?

First, France will continue to advance some of the work directions identified during the Kananaskis Summit, such as African issues, the fight against terrorism, and preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

In addition, it hopes to include universal access to running water and sustainable development as themes of the 2003 summit.

Administratively, preparations for the summit fell largely on the president's diplomatic advisers, known as "sherpas" (guides).

Of course, he also has many deputies, including a "Financial Deputy Sherpa" in charge of financial affairs, served by the Director of the International and European Affairs Department of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry; a "Deputy Foreign Affairs Sherpa", headed by

Director of the Economic and Financial Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Their task is to coordinate all matters related to the summit.

6. What is a "Sherpa (guide)"?

Who is the French “Sherpa”?

The G8 summit requires a year of careful preparation.

The people sent by various countries to participate in such preparatory meetings are called "Sherpas" ("Sherpa" originally means a minority group in the Himalayas who serve as guides or porters for climbers).

They are also responsible for implementing relevant resolutions made at the summit.

France's "Sherpa" is the president's diplomatic adviser Maurice Gourdo-Montagne.

7. What is the difference between the G8 and the G7, and what is the status of Russia?

With the arrival of Russia in 1997, the G7 became the G8, but some meetings at that time were still held among the G7.

Before 2001, the G8 summits issued two different sets of documents: one was the G8 communiqué covering all economic and financial issues; the other was the G7 declaration that only focused on international financial issues.

The Kananaskis Summit decided that Russia is qualified to serve as the rotating chair of the G8 and will be the host of the 2006 G8 Summit.

This decision is the result of Russia's economic liberalization and political democratization in recent years.

8. Will the G8 threaten the role of the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank?

The G8 is just an informal club for consultation and discussion among industrialized countries.

It does not have legal personality and does not have a permanent secretariat.

It cannot take any coercive measures and does not pose a threat to any international institution.

On the contrary, the G8, whose mission is to coordinate and promote relations among industrialized countries, will push the international community toward a virtuous cycle.