G19 must counterbalance G1

By David Monyae and Emmanuel Matambo | China Daily Global | Updated: 2019-06-17 08:28

This year's G20 Summit will likely demonstrate the further diminishing of multilateralism unless the other participants stand together against US bullying

The 2019 G20 Summit, to be held on June 28 and 29 in Osaka Japan, will be held against the inauspicious backdrop of the two largest global economies locked in a trade war. The Sino-US trade war has global consequences and stems from deeper issues than those cited by the two belligerents. Utterances coming from Washington betray paranoia, and a reluctance to admit that China is inexorably challenging a unipolar world order without changing its political identity.

Beyond Sino-US wrangling, the European Union will also attend the summit shortly after right wing, populist and anti-immigration political groups made gains in the European elections, confirming that, even though rhetoric to exit the EU might have subsided somewhat, anti-immigration is in vogue and is winning support across Europe. It will be interesting to note what the EU will say about the role of the G20 toward non-European and developing regions that have been the source of immigrants to Europe. Japan will probably want to address the issue of plastic waste in oceans, which is not likely to enjoy full support from a United States that seems willing to go against environmental ethics, as evinced by its antipathy to the Paris Agreement.

G20 members are thus expected to tackle a gamut of issues ranging from economics, immigration, climate change to the situation in developing regions. It is hoped, but not wholly expected, that the US and China can reach an amicable agreement on trade on the sideline of the summit.

But the diplomatic crisis triggered by the continued house arrest of Huawei's Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in Canada since December 2018 will undoubtedly add to the gloomy atmosphere pervading the summit in Osaka.

The G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting, the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, and other ministerial meetings will also be held at eight different locations throughout Japan. It is hoped that in these meetings sober discussions will be held to tackle the myriad challenges confronting the world. This will not be easy as ministers and government officials will likely uphold the stance of their respective governments. For Africa and other emerging powers, the summit could be of great benefit if it brings to fruition the aspirations expressed by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has said that, Japan is determined to lead global economic growth by promoting free trade and innovation, achieving both economic growth and reduction of disparities, and contributing to the development agenda and other global issues with the Sustainable Development Goals at its core. Through these efforts, Japan seeks to realize and promote a free and open, inclusive and sustainable, "human-centered future society". This message is both welcome to emerging economies and, most importantly for the leaders attending the summit, it is in tandem with China's recent commitment to place people at the center of development.

Achieving human centered development also involves ensuring an ecologically friendly environment by combating global warming and pollution. China is positioning itself as a leader in this regard, undoubtedly mindful of the cost to the environment of its economic growth. Unfortunately, the US and Brazil are unlikely to endorse decisions that could limit their latitude in terms of using the environment. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has threatened to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, stating the environmental policies are suffocating and could preclude economic growth and industrialization. For a country that was once a beacon of environmental friendliness, Brazil under Bolsonaro is increasingly becoming a threat.

Given their differences it will be interesting to see what is included in the leaders' communiqu��, if one is released after the summit. As Africa's only member of the G20, South Africa carries a huge responsibility going into the summit and it is expected to play a leading role in championing the cause of emerging economies. It is unfortunate that the Sino-American trade war, the Sino-Canadian diplomatic row, and the likely divergence over climate change among G20 member states are likely to overshadow the urgent need to take into serious consideration the plight of emerging economies.

This year's G20 Summit will likely sadly demonstrate the further diminishing of multilateralism. The US will continue to use bullying tactics as a means to get its way in negotiations on matters concerning global peace and security. In light of this, the developing countries ought to rally around countries in favor of multilateralism and globalization. For instance, China and Germany have reached an agreement to defend the current global order defined by multilateralism. According to Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang, the two countries "reached an agreement that in facing a complicated and ever-changing international environment, both China and Germany should jointly uphold multilateralism, maintain the current international order and oppose behavior that will damage the current order with abusive sanctions".

The G20 will be in a better position to handle issues bedeviling ordinary people across the globe such as poverty, disease, the digital divide, poor infrastructure, environment and trade if the US stops its bullying negotiating tactics. It has used this negotiating style with all countries, but especially the European Union, Mexico, Canada, Japan and now China. What is even more worrying is Washington attempts to sabotage the rise of competitive tech companies from the Global South such as Huawei. The US remains the most powerful country in the world, however, it cannot be allowed to continue tearing apart the fabric of peace and stability in the world. There is a need to build alternative group of like-minded countries such those in the BRICS to uphold global peace and security through the strengthening of multilateralism. And there is nothing to stop Germany, Indonesia, Turkey, Mexico and Argentina, for example, from joining BRICS.

David Monyae is the director of the Centre for Africa-China Studies and Confucius Institute at the University of Johannesburg; and Emmanuel Matambo is a visiting fellow at the same institute. The authors contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.