BERLIN: US President Donald Trump meets other world leaders at Germany’s G20 summit from Friday, with conflicts looming over climate, trade and other global issues both inside and outside the heavily-fortified venue. His counterparts are bracing for fresh surprises after Trump stunned the world by pulling out of the 2015 Paris climate pact, questioned long-standing NATO allegiances and dismissed free trade principles. Global power clubThe year’s biggest diplomatic event outside the UN will also provide a stage for other world leaders muscling for power and regional influence. Street resistanceMerkel, hailed by some as the “new leader of the free world”, advocates an internationalist approach to global issues — but her G20 motto, “Shaping an Interconnected World”, contrasts sharply with Trump’s go-it-alone approach. “We are demonstrating against the G20 because we don’t think that they represent the interests of humanity.” AFPAFP/CC

Source: Manila Times July 05, 2017 03:00 UTC