G20 summit to begin Friday

Jun 28, 2019 | News On Japan

Jun 28, 2019 (NHK) - The G20 summit will be officially underway in Osaka, with leaders kicking off the two-day gathering on Friday.

There are four sessions planned. Topics include: "global economy, trade and investment"; "innovation including digitalization"; "development and women's empowerment"; and "environment and energy".

But trade will be the major focus, largely due to US President Donald Trump's approach to multilateral trade deals since taking office. Trump's preference for bilateral deals and his emphasis on what he sees as unfair trading relationships for the US have disrupted the international trading norms.

As the US and China continue to butt heads on a trade deal, the pressure on members to present a unified front on growing the global economy is high.

Meanwhile, the chair of the summit, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump prior to the opening of the summit. Abe will ask Trump for his support on the meeting's success.

As for bilateral issues, Abe hopes that the meeting will result in acceleration of Japan-US trade talks and that the talks will benefit both sides.

It is also expected that the two leaders will exchange opinions on a bilateral security treaty after Trump expressed displeasure over the defense agreement with Japan during a recent media interview.

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