Hangzhou G20: China determined to keep summit focus on economy
South China Sea disputes are off Beijing’s agenda but the issues are likely to crop up at bilateral talks
China aims to keep the focus of next month’s G20 summit in Hangzhou on global economic growth rather than issues like the South China Sea disputes, officials in Beijing said on Monday.
Foreign vice-minister Li Baodong stressed that Beijing was also keen to keep the focus off other contentious issues, such as South Korea’s plans to deploy a US-backed advanced anti-missile system, when leaders of the world’s 20 major economies met in the capital city of Zhejiang province on September 4-5.
Asked about territorial disputes in the South China Sea,
Li said the consensus among members was to “focus on economic development and not be distracted by other parties” .
“The Hangzhou summit must focus on economic issues,” Li said. “This is what people want to talk about most at the summit.”
Beijing was furious when the Philippines, backed by the United States, applied in 2013 to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague for a ruling on claims to contested waters in the South China Sea.
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The international tribunal rejected Beijing’s “nine-dash” line claim to much of the waters on July 12 but China has ignored the ruling.