Osaka (Japan): The leaders of G20 countries are set for a two-day meet in the Japanese city of Osaka to face the challenge of sending a common message on environmental protection and free trade, a task made difficult by the growing rifts and friction between members.
The annual summit arrives at a moment of crisis for multilateralism, marked by the trade war between China and the US, escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf and is aimed at reaching a consensus, said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, currently holding the rotating chairmanship of the group.
Abe said in the Wednesday press conference that the world was going through change due to globalization, with an increasing number of conflicts emerging, but the G20 wanted to send a strong message about the need to be united in tackling the situation, Efe news reported.
Abe underlined environmental protection and climate change, new regulations for the digital sector and innovation as well as free trade as priority topics for the summit.
He added that the group would not emphasize its differences and, instead, he wants to find a common ground.
The accumulation of marine plastics seems to be the only topic on which the 20 countries have been able to reach an agreement with a specific text during a summit where bilateral meetings such as that between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are expected to be more fruitful.
Abe said that the two world powers could engage in “constructive dialogue” and highlighted how important it was for the world to maintain peace and stability in the Middle East.
Although the heightened tensions between Iran and the US have not been included on the official agenda, the topic is expected to be part of the discussions between the leaders of developed and developing countries, who include figures who have influence in the Persian Gulf region, such as Saudi Arabia and Russia.
In addition to bilateral meetings, world leaders including Abe, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the respective Presidents of the European Council and European Commission, Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Junker, are expected to issue calls for defending free trade and multilateralism.
A similar split is expected to affect references to climate change, a topic which could be mentioned in the final resolution with just a call for each country to fulfil their commitments under the Paris Agreement, a treaty which the US has unilaterally abandoned.
In environmental matters, Japan said it was sure the summit would at least allow a coordinated strategy against plastic pollution in the oceans, the first-ever such proposal, according to the Japanese President’s office, although many G20 countries have already begun initiatives in this regard.
The proposal is based on the exchange of scientific information and good practices of recycling and waste management and leaves countries decide their own measures in a voluntary way, a step which has been deemed insufficient by environmental organisations.
Japan, the host of the summit, has wanted to set an example with the recent approval of a national plan against plastic waste, with actions such as promoting recycling and substituting plastic with biodegradable alternatives.
However, the archipelago is far from being perfect in the area. It is the second-biggest generator of plastic waste in the world after the US, according to the UN, and the second-largest in Asia to export the waste to other countries, according to a report by non-profit Greenpeace.
Feisty Trump sets tone as stormy meet looms
US President Donald Trump set the tone on Thursday for what promises to be a stormy G20 summit by lashing out at friends and foes alike over trade tariffs and foreign policy.
The long-running US-China trade war looked set to dominate the two-day meeting of world leaders in Osaka from Friday but clashes also loomed over climate and hotspots including North Korea and Iran.
On board Air Force One en route to Japan, Trump fired off a characteristically bullish tweet, chiding long-standing ally India for “unacceptable” tariffs on American goods.
The US president had earlier taken aim at China, saying Beijing wanted to do a deal because the world’s number-two economy was “going down the tubes”.
Furious at what he sees as an unfair advantage in the trading system, Trump has already hit Beijing with $200 billion in levies on Chinese imports and appeared to threaten more.
The two leaders from China ansd US are expected to meet on Saturday.
Tensions with Tehran are at fever pitch after Trump pulled back from military action at the last minute in response to the downing of an unmanned US drone.
Iran will be one of several topics when Trump meets his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the meeting, along with arms control, the crisis in Venezuela, and Ukraine.
But tensions over the final statement on climate change are likely to burst into the open, with a German source saying it was “particularly difficult this year” to reach agreement.
EU Council President Donald Tusk summed up the pre-meeting mood by predicting “a difficult summit” in talks with Abe, according to a Japanese government source. And Trump appeared in no mood for compromise, hitting out at traditional allies one-by-one, even his hosts.
Trump described Vietnam as the “single worst abuser” on trade, lashed Germany as “delinquent” on funding contributions to NATO, and mocked Japan, which has been under a US military umbrella since World War II.
“If Japan is attacked, we will fight World War III. We will go in and protect them with our lives and with our treasure,” he said.
“But if we’re attacked, Japan doesn’t have to help us. They can watch it on a Sony television,” Trump added. (Agencies)
