Staying Committed

The G20 Summit in Buenos Aires， Argentina， saw the members reach consensus on an array of issues， including commitment to a multilateral trade mechanism， reform of the World Trade Organization and coping with climate change. The Buenos Aires declaration sent a positive message.

The summit was held against a backdrop of rapid changes in international affairs， rising protectionism and unilateralism and both growing opportunities and challenges for the world economy. China valued the participation in the summit， with the Chinese delegation involved in discussions and playing an important role in ensuring the success of the summit.

In his remarks， President Xi Jinping summarized the experience of G20 cooperation after the outbreak of the global financial crisis. Xi stressed that the G20 should stay committed to openness and cooperation， and uphold the multilateral trading system. It should forge a strong partnership and step up macro policy coordination. It should also stay committed to innovation while creating a new momentum for growth. And finally， it should stay committed to win-win cooperation to promote inclusive global development.

Xis proposals， based on global development as well as Chinas own practices， created resonance among state leaders attending the summit. The Chinese delegation maintained close communication with other developing countries and emerging economies as they spoke with one voice to safeguard common in- terests and steer the discussions toward the right direction. This helped to reach some of the consensuses in the summit declaration.

The declaration adopted some concepts and propositions put forward by China for improving global economic governance and deepening G20 cooperation. The declaration reiterated that G20 members will cooperate to implement initiatives like the Action Plan on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development formulated at the G20 Hangzhou Summit. It also expressed the G20s stance on pushing forward the reform of the International Monetary Fund. The members also agreed to encourage the application and sharing of innovative agricultural technologies.

Pushed by China， the summit displayed determination to cope with climate change. Xi reiterated Chinas commitment to implementing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement and its support for the principle of “common but differentiated responsibility” of nations to mitigate climate change effects.

The foreign ministers of China and France， together with UN Secretary General António Guterres， held a tripartite conference on climate change and issued a press communiqué to demonstrate their support for multilateralism and international cooperation on climate change. This was a strong political driving force for the climate change conference under the UN aegis that started in Poland on December 3.