The U. S.-China trade war, the Saudi crown prince’s first trip abroad since the brutal killing of a journalist and the Ukraine crisis will grab the world’s attention at this week’s G-20 summit.
The U. S.-China trade war, the Saudi crown prince’s first trip abroad since the brutal killing of a newspaper columnist and the Ukraine crisis will grab the world’s attention at this week’s G-20 summit.
None of those issues is on the agenda at the two-day meeting that was meant to focus on development, infrastructure and food security. But the gathering of leaders from the world’s top industrialized and emerging nations will be eclipsed by discussions and controversy on the sidelines.
“The G-20 summit features high drama on the turbulent global stage, with U. S. President Donald Trump, China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin playing leading roles,” said Michael Shifter, head of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based think tank.
Here’s a look at the main issues during the two-day meeting that begins Friday:
___
U. S.-CHINA TRADE WAR
The global economy is at stake when Trump and Xi meet at a high-stakes dinner in Buenos Aires on Saturday. Can they reach a truce on a dispute that has rattled markets? Trump promises to impose new tariffs on imports from China if they don’t. Most analysts doubt they will reach any overarching deal this weekend that would settle the conflict for good. But if the two sides agree to a cease-fire, it could buy time for more substantive talks.
“Whether they shake hands and announce some kind of agreement, or whether they don’t, we don’t think that anything substantial is going to happen in the broader U. S.-China trade conflict,” Willis Sparks, director of global macro politics at Eurasia Group.
“It involves a lot more complex issues that are not going to be resolved over the course of a single dinner.”
___
PRINCE OR PARIAH?
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is at the summit in the wake of the gruesome slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi and allegations that he ordered the killing inside the country’s consulate in Turkey’s capital last month.
