The 2019 G20 Summit opens Friday in Osaka

The heads of major economies across the globe will gather in Osaka on Friday to attend the 2019 G20 Summit. While some of the official agendas for the two-day event include global economy, disparity, and environmental degradation, the limelight is being shed on “global diplomatic war” waged by the world leaders.

In particular, U.S. President Donald Trump will hold a bilateral meeting at 11:30 a.m. Saturday with Chinese President Xi Jinping to continue on their trade talks. The Trump-Xi summit is drawing much attention as it will serve as the watershed point for the global economy and financial market this year. Many financial experts predict that the two heads of state will agree on resuming trade negotiations and postponing tariff escalation, but if the talks go awry, it can lead to serious consequences to the global economy. In an interview with Fox Business, President Trump said a “very significant” tariff will be levied if the two leaders fail to reach an agreement.

It is expected that President Xi, who had a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week, will bring a message from Kim and discuss issues on North Korea with other heads of state.

Before departing Tokyo Haneda Airport for the annual summit, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the representative of the chair country, told reporters that while confrontations are increasingly becoming a major issue in the international community, he will help find common grounds among the leaders rather than differences in opinion.


Yong Park parky@donga.com