USA president Barack Obama met Russia’s Vladimir Putin for talks about a ceasefire in Syria.
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US President Barack Obama steered clear of disputes in the South China Sea in his press conference at the end of the Group of 20 (G20) summit on Monday, focusing instead on joint efforts to combat crime and drug trafficking with the Philippines.
In his opening speech at the start of the two-day G20 Summit on Sunday, he said the G20 had drawn up action plans in multiple fields, including sustainable development, green finance, energy efficiency and anti-corruption, “and we should implement each of them seriously”.
He said the US aims to focus on its “common enemies” with Russia and encouraged continuing talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
“It is important for me to demonstrate that Canada cares deeply about its citizens in difficulties overseas and we need to make sure they are getting proper consular access and the kind of support through rule of law that is expected”, Trudeau said Monday.
Discussions at the meeting were distracted by North Korea test-firing three medium-range ballistic missiles in a defiant reminder of the risks to global security.
With the summit taking place after Britain’s vote in June to exit the European Union and before the US presidential election in November, G20 leaders had been expected to mount a defence of free trade and globalisation and warn against isolationism.
The US and Russian Federation tried and failed to strike a deal on stemming the violence in the disastrous five-year conflict, even as a string of bomb attacks hit across the country, underlining the urgency of the task. “Only through reforms in line with the changing realities can the G20 retain its vitality”, he said. “The construction of infrastructure facilities was also discussed, which would boost the economies of developing countries which could be crucial to the future to the world”, Yi said.
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde, speaking after the summit, also said more inclusive growth was a priority in the global economy.
“That story of benefits of trade, the improvement of productivity, the improvement of choices, the way in which trade has lifted so many people out of poverty”, she said.
Obama admitted before the G20 summit that there was a “reaction” to globalization and that people were “absolutely right” to worry about inequality, but insisted: “The answer is not to pull up the drawbridge”.
Trump noted that Obama couldn’t use his traditional staircase to exit Air Force One when he arrived in China over the weekend.
Tensions on the tarmac also flared when a Chinese security official blocked US National Security Adviser Susan Rice and yelled at another US official who was trying to help journalists get closer to Obama.
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The document, to be released later, “explicitly mentions the need for increasing financial assistance as well as strengthening the contributions of the global community”, the diplomat told reporters.
