US President Donald Trump will have breakfast with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman on Saturday, before meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The two meetings are likely the most watched at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, where trade, geopolitical tensions and the looming threat of climate change are on the agenda.
“This will be a difficult G20. There are global challenges to be met, we need to step up to avoid the climate threats … reform the World Trade Organisation and prepare for the digital revolution,” Donald Tusk, president of the European Union Council, said at a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Xi is aimed at heading off a ratcheting up of US tariffs on imports of consumer and other goods from China.
President Trump is due to arrive on Thursday, with many leaders already in Osaka, including India’s Narendra Modi
Mr Trump is also set to meet on Saturday with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan amid tension over Ankara’s plans to purchase a Russian anti-aircraft missile system, which the US has said will lead to sanctions.
Mr Trump has worked closely with Prince Mohammed since taking office and the American president’s first overseas visit was to the Kingdom in 2017. The White House backed the Saudi leadership’s investigation into the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul last year and has pushed back against pressure from Congress to end American support for the Arab coalition in Yemen.