President Trump said on the last day of the G7 summit in Biarritz, France, that his country is once again having dinner with China. According to Trump, Chinese officials indicated last night that they wanted to talk again about the end of the trade war between the two countries. Trump said that he has a good hope of a decent deal.
He also called China “a great country” and Chinese President Xi a “great leader,” after labeling him as an enemy on Twitter last week. Via the same medium, he then announced a further increase in import tariffs on Chinese products, causing the stock markets to plummet worldwide.
Great respect for the fact that President Xi & his Representatives want “calm resolution.” So impressed that they are willing to come out & state the facts so accurately. This is why he is a great leader & representing a great country. Talks are continuing!https://t.co/0sotrd1Mzh
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2019
Furthermore, Trump spoke remarkably mildly in Biarritz about Iran, the other country with which the US has a long-standing conflict. Trump left the atomic deal with Iran last year. In recent months, relations between countries have deteriorated considerably, leading to tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, among others.
The US president today underlined that he was not looking for a change of power in the country and he said there was almost an agreement on how to deal with Iran at the G7. The German Chancellor Merkel, who sat next to him, immediately nuanced that. She spoke of “productive conversations”, but emphasized that there was still a long way to go.
Yesterday, to everyone’s surprise, Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif joined the summit briefly, at the invitation of French President Macron. The visit was an attempt to break a diplomatic impasse on Tehran’s controversial nuclear program. Whether concrete results have been achieved as a result of his flash visit is not clear.
Last agenda item: the climate change
One of the last topics on the program today at the G7 summit in the French resort is climate change. Furthermore, according to sources, world leaders are virtually agreed on how to fight forest fires in the Amazon and repair the damage.
Unlike last year’s G7 summits, there is no final statement this year. Presidents Trump and Macron will hold a joint press conference afterwards.
About the author: John Campbell
John Campbell is the godfather of Polimedia and the oldest author from the whole team. His occasional guidance is crucial for everyone he advises.
