G20 avoids commitment on free trade - a climb-down from 2017

The G20 meeting that concluded over the weekend was significant as it elicited hopes of a resolution of the ongoing and intensifying US-Sino trade war, which in the current year, has reflected in the tit-for-tat import-restrictive tariff hikes from both sides.

But despite President Trump and President Xi’s dinner meetings in which they promised to take no further measures in the new year, the concluding communique of the summit was not encouraging as it avoided mentioning the term “trade protectionism” from the statement.

In contrast, the disappointment appears stark against the last year’s statement, in which the G20 nations agreed