There were fears the gathering would be short on substance, with no acute crisis pushing leaders to defy rising populist sentiment. A thorny issue is a new cease-fire deal in Aleppo.
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The conversation came hours after U.S. and Russian negotiators acknowledged that a recent round of intense talks had come up short.
Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov have for weeks been trying to broker a deal that would curb the violence between the Russian-ally Assad’s government forces and moderate rebels backed by the U.S.
In a joint statement, Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. President Barack Obama and the leaders of Britain, Japan, Russia and other Group of 20 nations pledged to boost sluggish global growth by promoting innovation.
Mr. Obama arrived to no red-carpeted stairs for Air Force One and open quarreling on the tarmac between Chinese and USA officials over press access.
Juncker said in Hangzhou that his views on the United Kingdom are “not inspired by any kind of revenge” and that he wanted a “fair deal” for both parties.
Obama said he had raised tax avoidance with leaders from the world’s 20 biggest economies at the G20 summit in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, but did not mention the Apple case.
Russian President Putin is quoted as saying the Syrian conflict can only be resolved through political means. The president used an alternative exit, but quarrels with Chinese officials broke out on the tarmac and at other venues over access by US officials and the traveling press. Putin has denied his government was involved, but cheered the release of the information.
Obama, reflecting later on the squabbling, said it wasn’t the first time it had happened.
Obama said that he and Putin have had “productive conversations” about negotiating a “real cessation of hostilities” the war-torn Middle East Country, but that “gaps of trust” have prevented reaching an agreement.
French President Francois Hollande said: “France is for globalisation, but on condition that it is regulated, that there are principles, standards, particularly for the environment, for society”. Negotiations were to continue Monday, even as a dispirited President Barack Obama doubted the diplomacy would ever pay off.
The member nations in G20 include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the U.S. and the European Union.
But the focus on climate quickly gave way to the failed Syria talks. “Until we lay the last brick”.
“Many of the groups considered acceptable by the US have actually affiliated with the Nusra Front, while the Nusra Front is using them to avoid being attacked”, Ryabkov told Russian media, citing a longstanding complaint of his government.
President Obama arrived at the Hangzhou global airport on Saturday afternoon for his final face-to-face meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Kerry and Lavrov’s talks on the sidelines of the Group of 20 economic summit represent their third significant attempt since July to finalize a new U.S.
To the frustration of the White House, these weighty matters seemed to be overshadowed by a made-for-social-media moment from Obama’s arrival at the airport.
On the tarmac, a quarrel broke out between a presidential aide and a Chinese official who demanded the journalists traveling with Obama be prohibited from getting anywhere near him.
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The tensions continued throughout the trip as Chinese officials severely restricted the media’s ability to attend Obama’s G20 events.
