G20 Summit: Compromises made in joint communique

World
Europe

The two-day G20 summit has come to an end, with a compromise reached on the wording of a final joint communique on global issues such as trade, corruption and female empowerment.

Climate change had been a sticking point in the talks. As CGTN's Guy Henderson reports, although this year's theme emphasized unity, world leaders agreed to push ahead with the Paris Climate Agreement without the United States.

German Chancellor Merkel earlier said in the last version of the communique, they have deliberately mentioned that it is only the American position, and they explicitly do not subscribe to the US point of view.

Although the US did join the others in backing free trade, it still wants action on cheap Chinese steel imports, which is an alternative to unilateral tariffs that Europe worried may have sparked a trade war in return.

A few days before the summit, US President Donald Trump had expressed frustration over Chinese efforts on the DPRK. But when he met Chinese President Xi Jinping, he said whether on trade or the DPRK issue, he hoped China and the US can come to a successful conclusion. Xi said China is willing to work together with the US to expand cooperation in various fields in response.