File photo taken on May 24, 2016 shows an aerial view of expressways linking Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport at night in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang province. Hangzhou is the host city for the 2016 G20 summit on Sept 4 and Sept 5. With one month to go, Hangzhou looks forward to G20.[Photo/Xinhua]
MEXICO CITY — China has a great opportunity to play a crucial role in the world’s economic recovery and sustainable development as it will host a Group of 20 (G20) summit in Hangzhou next month, said Mexican experts.
Academics from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the Ibero-American University agreed that this summit will revolve around topics such as free trade, the environment and terrorism, while also dealing with the fallout of Britain’s exit from the European Union.
For Ignacio Martinez Cortes, a political researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Chinese leaders will seek to strengthen China’s leadership in three important areas: infrastructure, environment and technology.
“These three points are strategically important for a sustainable future, in which China will play a crucial role, including cooperating with other countries in these areas,” he explained.
Victor Manuel Prudencia, an international relations expert at Ibero-American University, said China has the political and economic momentum “to set up an interesting agenda.” For him, this could include initiatives from China to help other countries develop their industries in a sustainable way.
China will also draw up plans with other participating countries on poverty reduction and infrastructure development.
“I think China has a great opportunity to set this agenda as the host country,” said Prudencia.
China also has a chance to strengthen the voice and representation of developing countries by inviting representatives from countries outside the G20.
For this meeting, China has said that it hopes to help improve global economic governance and financial stability, and boost trade and investment.
Prudencia believes China will present its Belt and Road Initiative, a mechanism which seeks to promote mutually beneficial cooperation among countries along the Belt and Road routes.
For Cortes, this meeting “will be very interesting” as all countries are seeking new ways to recover the global economy, as well as to stimulate their own economic growth.
“We are all very happy to be in a globalized world, but if one country is going badly, all feel it,” said Prudencia.
