5 things to watch for at the upcoming G-20 meeting

1. Defense
Given the developments that have emerged from North Korea in recent days, defense will have a renewed urgency on G-20 leaders' agendas.

Japan and South Korea will be eager to see the U.S.'s commitment to Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which guarantees collective defense from members in the case of an attack. But with the U.S. now potentially a direct target of North Korean President Kim Jong-Un's increased military capabilities, it is likely to want to discuss increased defense - and potentially new military measures - against the totalitarian regime.

The talks will come at a time of ongoing tension for NATO members with claims from U.S. President Donald Trump that EU members must do more to bring their defense contributions in line with those of the U.S.

2. Fighting terrorism

Combating terrorism will be central to talks as leaders look for new ways to fight the increasingly unpredictable attacks which have taken place over recent months and years.

Europe, in particular, has come under pressure from a series of attacks which have been conducted by Islamist extremists, and although leaders have stepped up their security measures, they will be focused on implementing new counter-terrorism measures.

On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he would lift the country's state of emergency.

3. Trump meets Putin

This weekend marks a number of hotly anticipated first encounters between world leaders, but chief among them will be that of Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"The expectation is that a working dialogue will be established, which is vitally important for the entire world when it comes to increasing the efficiency of resolving a critical mass of conflicts."

4. Free trade

Trade will also be a hot topic on the agenda as world leaders try to strike a resolve on their differing approaches to the movement of goods.

Chinese President Xi Jinping signaled that free trade would continue, even if Trump stood on the sidelines. Since then, Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has spoken out about his concerns over a potential trade war between the U.S. and the EU.

5. Climate change

Environmental issues will also come to the fore following Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord.

Ahead of this weekend's summit, leaders including Britain's May have said that they will challenge Trump over his decision.

Source: Bloomberg

Junior Trader Stefan Panteleev

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