"G20 Summit Opens Today Amid Trump Risk: 'Everything Could Be Turned Upside Down'"

"Any decision can be overturned."

The top priority topic at the Group of Twenty (G20) summit opening on the 18th (local time) in Brazil is undoubtedly 'Trump 2.0.' With Donald Trump, who has championed America First and called the climate crisis a 'hoax,' returning to the White House in January next year, the major initiatives that the G20 has aligned with, such as multilateralism and climate change response, are expected to plunge into chaos.

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According to major foreign media, G20 member country leaders, including President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden, have been arriving one after another in Rio de Janeiro to attend the two-day G20 summit on the 18th and 19th. The theme of this year’s G20 summit is 'Building a Just World and a Sustainable Earth.' Currently, diplomats from various countries are circulating a draft statement that includes responses to climate change, geopolitical issues such as the Ukraine war, and reforms of international organization governance. However, it remains uncertain whether a final agreement can be reached.

One foreign media outlet cited a negotiator saying that Argentine President Javier Milei, who is close to President-elect Trump, opposes taxation on the ultra-wealthy and has already threatened to block the release of the G20 joint statement. Known as the 'Trump of Argentina,' President Milei visited Florida last week to meet directly with President-elect Trump ahead of the summit. This meeting attracted attention as it was the first face-to-face meeting with a foreign leader after Trump’s election victory. The foreign media noted, "Milei’s actions are heightening concerns among Western diplomats that other major countries might also withdraw following Trump’s election." Le Monde also reported that "the shadow of the next White House occupant (Trump) has fallen over the G20."

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This G20 summit is the first gathering of major world leaders since the U.S. presidential election. It is also President Joe Biden’s last G20 summit, emphasizing multilateral cooperation in solving international issues. A European official said, "We all have to sit down and talk about international cooperation while pretending not to care about that person (Trump)," adding, "It is hard to see a future in what is decided at this G20." There is a strong indication that any international agreement reached at this summit could be overturned by President-elect Trump in the future. Another senior European diplomat lamented, "What do we do now with all the work done with the U.S. (Biden administration)? We have lost the initiative."

President-elect Trump has pledged a universal tariff of up to 20% and signaled that his second term will further drive America First policies. His approach, prioritizing U.S. economic interests and favoring bilateral negotiations, directly conflicts with the G20’s foundation of multilateral cooperation. This is why concerns arose that the recently concluded Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit’s reaffirmation of support for multilateralism might remain a 'paper declaration.'

Furthermore, President-elect Trump is expected to withdraw again from the Paris Agreement, an international treaty to combat global warming, immediately upon taking office. His denial of the climate crisis and advocacy for unlimited fossil energy production are also reflected in his cabinet appointments, such as the Secretary of Energy (Chris Wright, founder of Liberty Energy). President Biden, seemingly aware of this, mentioned before attending the G20 summit on the 17th during a visit to the Amazon rainforest that the U.S. promises to be the world’s largest bilateral climate finance donor and said, "No one can overturn this."

Ant?nio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), who visited Rio de Janeiro, urged, "I ask all countries to lead the G20 summit successfully with a spirit of consensus," emphasizing that "If the G20 becomes divided, it will lose global influence and leverage," calling for multilateral cooperation.