Order, harmony and great attention to detail – no matter where you look in Osaka, you would probably notice these three things, which are so typical for Japan. And foreigners visiting this year’s G20 summit may also add remarkable hospitality to the list, as host nation made a great effort to give a warm welcome to world leaders and delegations, as well as to members of the press visiting Osaka.
G20 leaders had a busy schedule on the second day of the summit, but still had time to enjoy local specialties during working lunch, with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe introducing the meals placed in a traditional Shokado Bento box with a serving of sake.
Perhaps, to some degree it was the Japanese hospitality, which helped to ease tensions between the bloc’s most powerful players.
While the announcement of “truce” in tariff wars between Washington and Beijng was not totally unexpected, Trump’s willingness to take one step further and reconsider restrictions placed earlier by the US on the Chinese tech giant Huawei came a surprise to many.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Osaka with Chinese, Indian, French, Canadian, German, Saudi, and other leaders, but it was his 1.5-hour-long dialogue with Donald Trump that attracted most attention. Trump and Putin had a brief informal conversation during last year’s G20 in Buenos Aires, so, judging by the time they spent talking in Osaka, it’s probably safe to assume that there was much more essence in this year’s meeting.
Trump announced that he had a “tremendous discussion” with Vladimir Putin, while Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov added that “the mood was good and the atmosphere was constructive”. Russia’s top diplomat went into further details, saying that the talks were focused on strategic stability as well as on the situation in Syria, Middle East and Ukraine.
The Osaka summit has concluded with leaders adopting a 13-page declaration, in which they lay out plans to address global economic challenges, fostering growth with strong focus on digital revolution and innovation. The document also describes goals in managing global finance, fighting corruption and inequalities.
The Group of 20 (G20) was formed in 1999 and is comprised of 19 nations and the EU. Next year’s G20 summit will be hosted by Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh.