G20 Meetings

Finance ministers and central bankers from the G20 top economies gather in South Africa on Wednesday and Thursday, for a meeting marred by the absence or curtailed attendance of key members and disputes over the main issues of climate, debt and inequality. Agreeing on a declaration has always been tough for a gathering that includes rivals China, Russia, the European Union and the United States, but differences are starker than ever, and some finance ministers were too consumed with domestic politics to show up. Japan’s Finance ...

The G20 just fumbled the fossil fuel debate. Or did it? Rio’s final G20 statement dropped any explicit call to phase out oil, gas, and coal. Instead, it offered vague applause for the UAE Consensus from COP28. This wasn’t an oversight. It was a decision. At COP28, 200 countries agreed to phase out fossil fuels by 2050. The G7 doubled down earlier this year. COP29 in Baku was supposed to build on this. Then Rio happened. Now, G20 leaders are dodging the hard part. No one should be shocked. The idea that “inexperienced aides” missed ...

China's role in promoting free trade, renewable energy, and global governance reform is pivotal against a backdrop of intensifying geopolitical tensions, experts said, as the 19th G20 Leaders' Summit kicked off on Monday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The two-day summit will provide a crucial platform for dialogue and cooperation among major economies, with experts anticipating that China will prioritize these issues to help stabilize international trade and advance global sustainability. Lawrence Loh, director of the Centre for ...

A top UN climate official is urging G20 leaders to step up the pace of developing new climate finance goals, as talks on the topic have stalled at the UN Cop 29 climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan. "Climate finance progress outside of our process is equally crucial, and the G20's role is mission-critical," said UN climate body chief Simon Stiell in a letter to the G20 leaders, who start two days of meetings today in Rio de Janeiro. "[The summit] must send crystal-clear global signals." Leaders at the G20 summit have already promised to ...

Leaders of the Group of 20 major economies were set to meet on Monday in Brazil for their annual summit, bracing for a shift in the global order with the return to power of US president-elect Donald Trump. Discussions of trade, climate change and international security will run up against sharp US policy changes that Trump vows upon taking office in January, from tariffs to the promise of a negotiated solution to the war in Ukraine. While U.S President Joe Biden arrives as a lame duck with just two months remaining in the White ...

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, his office said in a statement on Sunday. Starmer will call for Britain and other major economies to engage with China “pragmatically” on areas of mutual cooperation, including international stability, climate and growth, Downing Street added. The prime minister will, however, be firm on “the need to have honest conversations on areas of disagreement.” The meeting with Xi will be a first for ...