Is the G20 destined to fade into irrelevance in a leaderless world – courtesy of Donald Trump?

This is the second of four stories examining important issues ahead of the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump at the G20 leaders summit on June 28-29 in Osaka, Japan. Read part one here

At the last Group of 20 summit, rivalry between the United States and China hijacked what was supposed to be a forum for international cooperation and multilateral diplomacy. While there was a joint communique at the end of the talks in Buenos Aires, and agreement on the need for WTO reforms, there was little progress on how to deliver as tensions flared.

But any progress made in Argentina was short-lived, and although a 90-day trade war truce was agreed between Washington and Beijing, soon after it expired US President Donald Trump doubled down on tariffs against Chinese imports and banned Huawei, the crown jewel of China’s tech industry.

For many, the summit was more symbolic of a divided, increasingly polarised world than any effort to patch up differences over globalisation and the relevance of a post-war international trading system.

With the 20 leading economic powers meeting again in Osaka, Japan this week, the question now is whether the G20 “premier forum for international economic cooperation” is still relevant in today’s increasingly leaderless world.

For the second year in a row, the multilateral gathering looks set to be overshadowed by the spiralling tariff war between China and the US and their increasingly acrimonious relations, at a time when the crumbling international economic order desperately needs a reboot.