China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang speaks at a regular press conference on Wednesday, August 24, 2016. (Photo/fmprc.gov.cn)
Leaders of many countries and international organizations have confirmed their attendance at the annual Group of 20 (G20) summit slated for September 4 and 5 in China's southeastern city of Hangzhou. [Special coverage]
The attendance list includes President Mauricio Macri of Argentina, Brazilian leader, President Francois Hollande of France, President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, President Park Geun-hye of the ROK, President Enrique Pena Nieto of Mexico, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, President Barack Obama of the U.S., Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of Australia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of Italy, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, Prime Minister Theresa May of the UK, President Donald Tusk of the European Council, President Jean-Claud Juncker of the European Commission, Deputy Crown Prince, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Muhammad bin Salman Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, President Idriss Deby of Chad, President Abdel Fatah al-Sesi of Egypt, President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, President Bounnhang Vorachith of Laos, President Macky Sall of Senegal, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of Spain, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha of Thailand, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo, Director-General Guy Ryder of the International Labor Organization, President Mark Carney of the Financial Stability Board, Secretary-General Angel Gurria of the OECD, etc, according to China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang at a regular press conference on Wednesday.
At the invitation of Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of the State Council, Deputy Crown Prince, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud will visit China from August 29 to 31 and join Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli for the first meeting of the high-level committee between governments of China and Saudi Arabia. Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed will also attend the forthcoming G20 summit.
China, especially Hangzhou, has started the countdown to the G20 summit. Preparations leading up to the summit, including the venue and supporting facilities, arrangements for major activities, protocol and logistic services, are well underway.
"Intense but orderly, preparations for the summit were made in an open, transparent and inclusive manner. Up till now, the Chinese side has held three Sherpa meetings, three Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meetings, and finance and central bank deputies meetings as well as dozens of working group meetings in various fields. G20 meetings for agriculture ministers, energy ministers, trade ministers and employment ministers have been held in succession. We have had talks with people representing different walks of life, such as business, youth, women, labor force, think tanks and civil societies, and with G77, African countries, LDCs, landlocked countries, small island states, the British Commonwealth and French-speaking countries. We pay heed to voices and opinions of different parties, laying a solid groundwork for the Hangzhou summit," Lu said.
"The G20 Hangzhou summit is expected to reach nearly 30 outcomes if all of us work together. That will make the summit one of the most fruitful ones. As the summit is drawing near, we can sense the international community's expectation for the summit. Countries all hope to ensure the success of the summit through intensified cooperation and inject strong impetus to world economic growth," Lu said.
As for the participation of developing countries, the number of developing countries invited to the summit is larger than any previous meetings in G20 history. Developed and developing countries will sit down as equal partners and explore how to realize long-term and steady world economic growth at the summit, which showcases that this summit is much more representative and inclusive. Developing countries' voice will be clearly heard. Developed and developing countries making decisions on global economic affairs through consultation on an equal footing reflects a major change in the world economic landscape. It answers the trend of the times, and is a historical progress, Lu added.
