Foreign ministers from the Group of 20 leading industrialized and emerging economies have begun their two days of talks, with a focus on global development.
The meeting plans to sustain momentum on 17 sustainable development goals the international community agreed to achieve by 2030. Recognizing and preventing future crises and supporting Africa are also on the agenda.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called on the G20 countries to turn consensus into action, and fulfil their sustainable development goals.
The G20 Action Plan on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was endorsed by G20 members last year in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel meet for talks prior to the G20 Foreign Ministers meeting in Bonn, Germany on February 16, 2017. /Reuters Photo
Wang urged G20 members to integrate the 2030 Agenda into their own development strategies, and uphold the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.
The foreign minister met on Thursday officials from Germany, EU , the UK, and Russia, ahead of the G20 ministerial meeting.
Wang told his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel that he hopes Germany, a key EU member, back China's right for full market economy status – which China was supposed to be granted in December last year, according to the protocol signed with the World Trade Organization (WTO).
So far, the EU has failed to comply.
This was also one of the issues that were tackled during the talks Wang held with EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini.
Mogherini said the EU will keep working to solve the problem.
EU's High Representative Federica Mogherini and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson talk before an opening session meeting of G-20 foreign ministers at the World Conference Center on February 16, 2017 in Bonn, Germany. /Reuters Photo
Meanwhile, Britain's Boris Johnson reaffirmed the UK's willingness to revive the "Golden Era" with China. Wang and Johnson discussed major cooperation, including the Hinkley Point nuclear plant project.
Wang also met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, and stressed the need for both nations to continue to secure strategic stability in global affairs.
Wang said both countries will keep working to coordinate their strategic development plans, namely China's Belt and Road Initiative and Russia's Eurasian Economic Union.
The two ministers also agreed to further bilateral cooperation under the frameworks of G20 and BRICS, saying that China and Russia will make fresh efforts to restart talks to solve tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
