Wang Huiyao: G20 summit stresses unity and inclusiveness
July 12 , 2017
On July 7 and 8, the 12th G20 summit took place in Hamburg, where governments from 20 major economies gathered. The delicate diplomatic waltz didn’t hide the stormy discord between world leaders. Host Chancellor Angela Merkel had previously slammed President Donald Trump’s withdrawal of the US from the Paris Agreement. UK Prime Minister Theresa May continuously looked for allies in the face of Brexit. The relationships between China, the US and Europe have become increasingly unpredictable, and the 12th G20 summit was doubtlessly a collision between globalization and anti-globalization.
The year 2016 marked the start of an anti-globalization era. The UK voted for Brexit, the election of Trump boosted global populist movements, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi resigned after a constitutional referendum defeat, and Europe struggled to accommodate millions of asylum seekers. Backlash against globalization loomed, facilitating a steep anti-globalization boom.
However, amid the stormy waves of globalization and anti-globalization projected by many politicians across the Western world, the relations between China, the US and Europe experienced positive signs.
Chancellor Merkel dined with President Xi Jinping in prelude to the G20 summit, strengthening a stable and prosperous China-Germany relationship. The two leaders pledged to work more closely on a host of issues, with Chancellor Merkel supporting globalization. The common ground between China and Germany, on issues such as climate change and reciprocal trade agreements, guarantees an increasingly strategic and united relationship.
Europe needs close engagement with China on the global management of climate change and the preservation of an open trading system, while the US needs China to deal with North Korea. This multi-polar relationship puts China at the very heart of the international system, with an essential role in framing the international agenda while assuming new responsibilities. With an intertwined destiny, China, the US, and Europe should balance competition with partnership, maintaining close dialogue and acting more in concert.
Looking through history, 70 years after WWII, a global war hasn’t broken out again. This relative peacefulness is largely due to globalization. A variety of economic, cultural, and social bonds around the globe ensure a collaborative and harmonious era.
In the US, there are approximately five million overseas Chinese. For foreign companies, the emerging market environment in China is highly lucrative. In this context, exchanges in the economic sector mitigate the potential challenges projected by the geopolitical sector. For China and the US, an economic and cultural relationship manifests the common aims of mankind, preventing geopolitical and military conflicts. This is also the core value of globalization: the more open a country can be, the more peaceful it becomes.
For China, the 12th G20 summit was a venue to tackle the rise of anti-globalization while championing globalization. The theme of the 12th G20 was “Shaping an Interconnected World,” which dovetails with the ideals of the previous G20 summit in Hangzhou to promote an innovative, dynamic and inclusive world economy.
During the 12th G20 summit, China has successfully safeguarded globalization and showed its strong power to shepherd the world economy in the right direction while supporting globalization, fostering a solid coordination between major countries.
On July 7 and 8, the 12th G20 summit took place in Hamburg, where governments from 20 major economies gathered. The delicate diplomatic waltz didn’t hide the stormy discord between world leaders. Host Chancellor Angela Merkel had previously slammed President Donald Trump’s withdrawal of the US from the Paris Agreement. UK Prime Minister Theresa May continuously looked for allies in the face of Brexit. The relationships between China, the US and Europe have become increasingly unpredictable, and the 12th G20 summit was doubtlessly a collision between globalization and anti-globalization.
The year 2016 marked the start of an anti-globalization era. The UK voted for Brexit, the election of Trump boosted global populist movements, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi resigned after a constitutional referendum defeat, and Europe struggled to accommodate millions of asylum seekers. Backlash against globalization loomed, facilitating a steep anti-globalization boom.
However, amid the stormy waves of globalization and anti-globalization projected by many politicians across the Western world, the relations between China, the US and Europe experienced positive signs.
Chancellor Merkel dined with President Xi Jinping in prelude to the G20 summit, strengthening a stable and prosperous China-Germany relationship. The two leaders pledged to work more closely on a host of issues, with Chancellor Merkel supporting globalization. The common ground between China and Germany, on issues such as climate change and reciprocal trade agreements, guarantees an increasingly strategic and united relationship.
Europe needs close engagement with China on the global management of climate change and the preservation of an open trading system, while the US needs China to deal with North Korea. This multi-polar relationship puts China at the very heart of the international system, with an essential role in framing the international agenda while assuming new responsibilities. With an intertwined destiny, China, the US, and Europe should balance competition with partnership, maintaining close dialogue and acting more in concert.
Looking through history, 70 years after WWII, a global war hasn’t broken out again. This relative peacefulness is largely due to globalization. A variety of economic, cultural, and social bonds around the globe ensure a collaborative and harmonious era.
In the US, there are approximately five million overseas Chinese. For foreign companies, the emerging market environment in China is highly lucrative. In this context, exchanges in the economic sector mitigate the potential challenges projected by the geopolitical sector. For China and the US, an economic and cultural relationship manifests the common aims of mankind, preventing geopolitical and military conflicts. This is also the core value of globalization: the more open a country can be, the more peaceful it becomes.
For China, the 12th G20 summit was a venue to tackle the rise of anti-globalization while championing globalization. The theme of the 12th G20 was “Shaping an Interconnected World,” which dovetails with the ideals of the previous G20 summit in Hangzhou to promote an innovative, dynamic and inclusive world economy.
During the 12th G20 summit, China has successfully safeguarded globalization and showed its strong power to shepherd the world economy in the right direction while supporting globalization, fostering a solid coordination between major countries.
