politics

Germany hosts difficult G-20 talks on trade, climate

24 Comments
By GEIR MOULSON

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24 Comments
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If that top photo doesn't say it all. Trump offers nothing to everyone. No one wants to talk to the USA.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Angela Merkel will beat Trump in anything. Germany knows they got the US beat. Any country dumb enough to elect a Trump is a failure state. Just look at how the other Leader's talk and then look at Gomer Pyle speak.

In less than 6 months Trump has managed to bring the United States to its knees and make us a 3rd rate nation in the eyes of the world.  

I blame the Republican party, its politicians, and its members. Within those ranks Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan contributed the most to our impending demise.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

CrazyJoe

Yeah, go down the line of "responsibility" VP, Speaker, Senate Majority leader, etc, and all the Republicans are equally repugnant . Thankfully without a Parliamentary system USA isn't able to implode overnight, but it's not through a lack of trying. It's rather incredible how every secretary of every department hated or sued that department prior to their appointment. The USA is broken.

Germany is now the leader of the free world while USA goes more fascist. It's an irony lost on the miscreants to follow here who will only validate the USA's state of demise

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Disgraceful. I blame the Republican party for allowing this man to become POTUS, undoing everything that the US has accomplished since WWII ended under many Presidents both Republican and Democrat in a matter of months.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Although I don't like the guy I will give him credit for trying to read and understand what is in front of him. I don't think it is the right time to do it when there are so many opportunities for relationship building right there though. It really does seem to be that nobody wants anything to do with him.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Liberals and Globalization vs Conservatism.

Of course thats grouping everyone unfairly, but in some ways it looks like this, combined with climate change believers, is a rising religion in the 2000s.

-7 ( +1 / -8 )

sf2kToday 06:28 am JST

If that top photo doesn't say it all. Trump offers nothing to everyone. No one wants to talk to the USA.

As an American, lil donnie trump unfortunately speaks FOR us as our President (and I use this designation very loosely) but he does NOT speak WITH us! He is a disgrace to the office, the country and the world.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

It's not "America first", it's America alone".

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Europe neither fears nor loves Donald Teump

2 ( +3 / -1 )

It's too early to know what Trumps effect will be.

What the masses said was right have been proven to be very wrong many times in the past. I'm gunna watch and see instead of reacting to everything.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

The harsh reality behind the difficulties to this G20 summit is contain within the words of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe:

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said: "The most important thing is to promote free trade and maintaining open markets."

The accord for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is a despairing last ditch attempt by Japan government, EU commission, it's member states, to salvage or sustain any remaining consensus to challenge, avert the reversal of globalisation through multilateral trade deals.  

The EU/Japan declaration,  a political undertaking to maintain or continue discussions to achieve a Economic Partnership Agreement is a act of public desperation, as any legislative framework for any future agreement in respect to investment protection, regulatory cooperation, technical issues around data flows are essential for ratification all having been front center to the failure to reach any deal since 2013, all noticeably missing in this accord

So a question, why all the intrigue and trickery, the 'will they won't they' drama?. Then a breakthrough accord of a promise to carry on negotiations?  

It would be comical, like the promise of economic fanfares of pipes and drums only for our political leaders to jump on the podium blowing the political equivalent of paper and comb kazoos but for the overriding global importance to people's lives.       

So may I humbly suggest below is part of the reasoning.......

At G-20, world aligns against Trump policies ranging from free trade to climate change.....

In one of the most consequential decisions of his young administration, Trump could within days impose the restrictions on steel, a move that could affect trade with more than a dozen major countries.

“We will respond with countermeasures if need be, hoping that this is not actually necessary,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters, adding figuratively: “We are prepared to take up arms if need be.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/at-g-20-eu-warns-of-trade-war-if-trump-imposes-restrictions-on-steel/2017/07/07/0ffae390-62f4-11e7-a6c7-f769fa1d5691_story.html?utm_term=.579e0d273fcf

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

What I wonder is the definition of freedom of speech? Donald is not in anyway perfect. Infact he's terribly flawed. But who on this spinning rock isn't?

The electoral college chose him. Period. The beautiful thing about expression is if he fails to meet the mandate, out he goes in few years.

The unending whining and bickering as exemplified by most posters here is nothing short of tedious and mind numbingly childish.

I agree that for some the hurt is still going on. However, it's time to toughen up, get back on the horse and try again in a few years. Because at the end of the day, no matter how many lines of vitriol spewed on the interwebs, Donald will still remain your president.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

The unending whining and bickering as exemplified by most posters here is nothing short of tedious and mind numbingly childish.

The right trying to claim that the left is childish. After eight years of childishness.

Sorry, but that's about as hypocritical as it gets.

Because at the end of the day, no matter how many lines of vitriol spewed on the interwebs, Donald will still remain your president.

You guys would know better than anyone, having spouted vitriol for eight years of Obama.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

@strangerland

You keep making my point. Two wrongs don't make a right. Both sides need to grow up if there's to be any kind of unity.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

How does that bed you made feel while you're lying in it?

Wow. @strangerland it's starting to feel like I'm living in a loop. We've had this discourse before. I told you repeatedly that I don't lean right or left. I personally find it ridiculous that any advanced mind would place such meagre limitations on itself. I digress.

The right was horrible for the past eight years. My question is instead of repeating the same thing, wouldn't it be beneficial to the left going forward if they took the higher horse? The bickering only serves to make the point that at days end, there's really no difference between parties. Only blind confusion.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Readers, please stop bickering. Focus your comments on the story and not at each other.

I find it rather encouraging that the isolationist absurdity that has become the US is emboldening European countries and their leaders to assert themselves more, and deign less to the whims of US foreign policy. I want to see more of it.

Angela Merkel is a smart, sophisticated leader of a smart, sophisticated country. Macron is too. In Socio-Political times like this, it's heartening to see smart, socially responsible and progressive countries step into the breach.

On another note:

Outside the security cordon around the downtown congress center, anti-globalization activists set dozens of cars ablaze and tried unsuccessfully to block national delegations from entering the summit.

What do these clowns think they are doing? I mean, what do they hope to achieve. They live in prosperous countries, fully feeding at the trough of Globalisation in their day-to-day lives, only to tun into vandals when world leaders converge to meet. Nice work. Burning the cars and smashing windows of hard working folk, likely from families just like theirs is dumb, selfish, irresponsible and illegal.

Idiots.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Hence making my point even further.

No difference, only blind confusion.

In some ways I would agree, there is little difference. American politics are broken.

But in other ways, there are huge differences. Health care an the environment are two issues where the sides are polar opposites.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Germany has been keen to preserve the G-20's tradition of making decisions by consensus. Merkel has rejected calls from some to push for a strong "G-19" statement — without the U.S. — on climate change.

Nothing is going to move forward if the G19 are waiting for Trump. You can only appease the right wing so much before it's futile

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

The EU, China and Japanese economic models depend on exporting to the US.

President Trumps insists that countries can sell whatever and whenever as long as they manufacture the end product along with an agreed proportion of the supply chain within US boarders.

What differs from the current EU restrictions on access to the single market? Or the Government of Japans regulations of shareholder governance, tariffs and barriers?

President Trump's administration might not be overly worried if the end result brings balance to other perceived trade disparities in the process.

Insulting President Trump won't change his mind. It will just harden his resolve.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

It's curious that Reuters chose a rather negative photo of Trump, considering they probably had hundreds to choose from.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

There has to be a way to find common agreement between the current US administration, Asia, and Europe governments to prevent a prolonged and costly trade dispute that could if allowed to progress unchecked threaten organizations (WTO) that have brought peace through rules to ensure global fair trading practises.  

That photo paints a ghastly and alarming portrayal of a President of a US government that clearly is not at ease with the majority of his G - 20 partners. This is Executive Office of the President of the United States there is no option of sending him to the naughty corner.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

sf2kToday  "If that top photo doesn't say it all. Trump offers nothing to everyone. No one wants to talk to the USA."   Good observation.  At least he wasn't wearing his ubiquitous red tie.  lol.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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