Negotiators at the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires hammered out a joint statement in support of the international trading system — but calls for reform of the World Trade Organization.
The final text of the statement was sent to world leaders for final approval later Saturday.
It reflects compromises among the US, China, and Europe amid ongoing tensions between the world’s leading economies. And the statement comes after National Security Advisor John Bolton hinted the US might not back an agreement at the gathering.
The U.S. did stand alone on at least one aspect of the communique: The statement says that 19 of the 20 nations support the Paris Climate Accord. President Trump said the US would pull out of the pact aimed at reducing emissions worldwide last year.
The statement also shows a commitment to a “rules-based international order,” despite Trump’s rejection of many of those rules. “There were moments when we thought all was lost,” one European official told the Wall Street Journal, “moments when we spent two hours on one sentence.”
The agreement was reached before Trump’s highly anticipated dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping, slated for later Saturday. The two leaders are expected to discuss the ongoing trade war, with new US tariffs on Chinese goods set to kick in next month. Trump said when leaving for Argentina that the two countries are “very close” to a trade deal, but he’s not sure he really wants one.
Trump was also scheduled to speak with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He canceled a midday press conference, citing deference to the news that former President George H.W. Bush had died.
Earlier Saturday, the White House confirmed that the president had some face time with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday night, after canceling a more formal meeting ahead of the summit.
“As is typical at multilateral events, President Trump and the first lady had a number of informal conversations with world leaders at the dinner last night, including President Putin,” spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.
With Post Wires
This story was originally published by NY Post
via USAHint.com
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