Events: G20 summit and the 34th ASEAN summit

Two major international summits will take place in Asia in late June. The 34th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit is up first in Bangkok, Thailand, where leaders are expected to confront the regional impacts of the US-China trade war and continuing Rohingya refugee crisis in Rakhine State. Then trade tensions will be centre stage at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, with an expected meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Here are some basic things to know.

G20 summit

WHAT: The Group of 20 (G20) is an informal forum for international economic cooperation, with leaders of member and invited countries gathering annually for a summit. Its membership formally includes 19 countries plus the European Union and accounts for more than 80 per cent of global GDP. It was formed in 1999 after the Asian Financial Crisis as a way to bring together the world’s largest industrialised and emerging economies. After the Global Financial Crisis in 2007-2008, it was agreed that the forum would also host the now-annual G20 summit for heads of state or government. In addition to the regular members, the host country has the right to invite other countries and international organisations, such as the World Health Organisation and International Monetary Fund, to attend. Influential bilateral meetings often take place on the sidelines of the summit.

WHEN: 28-29 June 2019

HOST: Osaka, Japan. Member countries take turns hosting the summit. Argentina hosted in 2018, and Saudi Arabia will take its turn in 2020.

KEY ISSUES: The main issue will be trade tensions between the US and China. Trump and Xi are expected to meet to discuss the status of trade talks, which have stalled since May. The US and China are the world’s two largest economies, and trade issues are seen to be contributing to slowed economic growth and uncertainties in global markets.

Other issues for G20 include:

• Reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO);

• Climate change and environmental issues such as ocean plastic litter;

• Financing for emerging economies to promote debt transparency and sustainability;

• The governance of data to strengthen public trust in the digital economy;

• The social impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), robotics and big data;

• Structural issues such as aging societies and the gender gap in the labour force.

34th ASEAN summit

WHAT: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional grouping, comprising 10 member states in Southeast Asia, focused on regional collaboration and prosperity. The ASEAN summit is a semi-annual gathering of these 10 leaders. ASEAN also conducts one meeting per year with its external dialogue partners, including New Zealand.

WHEN: 20-23 June 2019

CHAIR: Thailand. The chairmanship of ASEAN rotates among the 10 member-states annually. Thailand requested that the summit be moved from its traditional March-April timing to accommodate country’s recent election, which was held in March, and give the government time to work on the ASEAN agenda.

KEY ISSUES: The impact of the US-China trade war is likely to be top of mind for ASEAN leaders. With Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi attending, the ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis is also expected to feature in conversations. The theme of Thailand’s chairmanship is “Advancing Partnership for Sustainability.” Focus areas will include competitiveness in digital economies, increased economic cooperation, and developing green economy initiatives.

Other issues for ASEAN include:

• The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement;

• The South China Sea dispute;

• Regional economic integration;

• Marine debris;

• Illegal wildlife trade;

• Security issues such as terrorism, transnational crime and cybersecurity;

• Border management cooperation.

– Asia Media Centre