United States (US) President Joe Biden expressed disappointment over China and Russia’s absence at the G20 Summit in Rome, Italy.
“China and Russia didn’t show up in terms of any commitments to deal with climate change. And there’s a reason why people should be disappointed in that. I found it disappointing myself,” Biden said at a press conference following the Summit on Sunday.
In his speech at the Summit, Biden highlighted the “power” of the US, saying, “There is real eagerness among our partners and allies for American leadership to help bring the world together and solve some of these big problems.” Biden’s address also covered agreements made by Washington on the sidelines of the Summit through more extensive sessions and one-on-one meetings.
He mentioned his meetings with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Emmanuel Macron regarding the Iran nuclear deal. He said, “Diplomacy is the best way to prevent Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon, and we discussed how best to encourage Iran to resume serious, good-faith negotiations.”
Biden also highlighted the ongoing global supply chain crisis and said immediate measures to address the issue had been discussed.
Next, the G20 endorsement of a Global Minimum Tax was an important point checked off Biden’s agenda to tackle big corporations hoarding their profits in ‘tax havens’ by setting a minimum corporate tax rate of 15%.
Additionally, Biden’s negotiations with European Union (EU) leaders regarding steel and aluminium tariffs yielded “the world’s first trade agreement based on how much carbon is in a product.” He called this agreement a big win for American steelworkers.
However, some world leaders have said that the commitments made by countries towards tackling the climate crisis at the G20 lacked ambition. United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres tweeted: “While I welcome the #G20’s recommitment to global solutions, I leave Rome with my hopes unfulfilled—but at least they are not buried.”
Likewise, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for a more ambitious climate agenda in his closing speech. “There’s no question that Canada and a number of other countries would have liked the stronger language and stronger commitments on the fight against climate change,” Trudeau said.
On Monday, Biden will attend COP26, UN climate summit, in Glasgow, Scotland. “I’m looking forward to continuing to make progress on critical global issues as we head off to Glasgow because of what we’ve seen again here in Rome,” he said. Like at the G20 Summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be present at COP26, adding to the tensions between Washington and Beijing and Moscow.
Biden Expresses Disappointment at China and Russia’s Absence at G20 Summit
The US President also talked about the ongoing global supply chain crisis and said immediate measures to address the issue had been discussed.
November 1, 2021
US President Joe Biden SOURCE: REUTERS