G20 opens with Trump focused on building ties, but divides clear
The Osaka summit itself is expected to be rife with differences, however, as sharp divides are clear in the trade war between the US and China, over climate change and about tensions in the Gulf with Iran.
As Trump sat for a session with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who he has often slammed over energy purchases from Russia and a failure to hit NATO defence spending targets, the US president was rather jovial.
"She’s a fantastic person, a fantastic woman and I am very glad to have her as a friend," Trump said, while praising trade relations between the US and Germany. Normally, Trump is critical of the US trade deficit with Germany.
Trump repeatedly stressed that Merkel is a "great friend of mine."
Similarly, there was no sign of Trump's remarks earlier this week that the security alliance with Japan is unbalanced and that while the US would defend the Asian nation, Tokyo would stand by if the US got attacked and watch events "on a Sony television."
Instead, Trump hailed trade ties with Japan and vowed that new deals would be forthcoming.
On his way to the summit, Trump had lashed out at India over "unacceptable" tariffs on the US, but in Osaka he promised a "very big trade deal" with India, at the start of a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Trump, Abe and Modi even had a three-way fist-bump at the start of a joint meeting, which appeared to present a bloc to counter China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to meet Trump on Saturday for the most eagerly awaited events at this year's gathering of the world's dominant economies.
Experts are divided on whether Trump and Xi can make a deal, or at least hit pause in the trade war, or if the two countries will continue down a path of economic decoupling.
Going into the summit, Trump insisted that China had backed out of a deal that was mostly completed earlier this year and demanded that Beijing improve market access for foreign firms and protect intellectual property.
The US has already upped tariffs on some 250 billion dollars worth of Chinese goods, to 25 per cent, and Trump is threatening more duties on another 325 billion if there is no deal, though he has indicated he could wait in imposing the taxes, giving more time for talks.
Trump studiously avoided verbal attacks on China at the summit, so far, but did make clear that he was not backing down on easily on blacklisting Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, which makes 5G equipment and is now locked out of the US market.
"As we expand digital trade we must also ensure the resilience and security of our 5G networks. This is essential to our shared safety and prosperity," Trump said.
Without mentioning China by name, Trump said the digital economy requires the free flow of data and strong privacy and intellectual property protections, adding that the US opposes data localization policies.
Japan is hoping to use the summit to push back against protectionism around the world but it remains unclear if Tokyo can counter the trend, especially as the government is trying not to anger Trump.
Abe stressed the need to focus on what unites G20 members and not divides, only too aware of the many differences likely to emerge over 24 hours.
"We want the G20 to focus on where we can agree and cooperate rather than highlighting differences," Abe said.
Climate change is expected to be a hotly contested issue at the summit, with the US keen to avoid language on global warming while France is demanding that carbon emissions commitments be included in the final joint statement.
Also, the US and Iran have been locked in an escalatory cycle that has caused concerns the countries may stumble into war. World leaders have been urging the sides to find a way to reduce tensions. Merkel was among world leaders to raise Iran with Trump.
The US president is also set to meet other world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
