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US boycott and China-Japan rift loom large as leaders gather for G20 summit
Geopolitical friction threatens to derail talks in Johannesburg, with observers saying it could be hard to reach consensus on key issues
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Leaders from the world’s wealthiest and largest economies will gather in Johannesburg for the Group of 20 summit this weekend, as geopolitical friction threatens to derail the event.
There are tensions over Washington’s unprecedented total boycott of the summit, and a diplomatic rift between Beijing and Tokyo is also likely to loom large after China ruled out a one-on-one leaders’ meeting with Japan.
Beijing declined a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit – which runs from Saturday to Sunday – in response to recent remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
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In parliament on November 7, Takaichi said that if Beijing took military action against Taiwan it could be deemed a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, potentially allowing Tokyo to exercise its right to collective self-defence and to deploy its armed forces alongside the US in the island region and surrounding waters to defend its vital shipping lanes.
04:47
Why have Takaichi’s Taiwan comments sent China-Japan ties into a tailspin?
Why have Takaichi’s Taiwan comments sent China-Japan ties into a tailspin?
The dispute between China and Japan could threaten consensus on key issues on the table in Johannesburg, according to observers. They said the tensions were also likely to disrupt traditional high-level “corridor diplomacy” at the gathering, where decision-making is driven by the principle of building consensus.
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