US President Joe Biden will face a more skeptical global audience on Saturday (30), as he participates as chair of the first G20 summit in the Italian capital of Rome.
Divisions within Biden’s party threaten his economic agenda at home, and the Democrat has come to realize that US credibility and the future of his presidency are at stake.
Despite urging lawmakers to give him a legislative victory to publicize on the world stage — particularly actions against climate change that would add extra weight to his presence at the United Nations Climate Summit (COP26) next week, Biden appeared in the Eternal City without a trace. . Closed deal.
Added to this complexity are some countries’ questions about the US president’s commitment to work cooperatively on global issues after the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
This weekend marks the first in-person G20 summit since the coronavirus pandemic began, and world leaders are expected to discuss the COVID-19 crisis, global supply chain issues, global minimum taxes, rising energy prices and combating the climate crisis, among others. . Threads.
A senior government official said the US president will raise energy supply issues and support a global minimum tax at the first session of the G20 on Saturday in Rome. These two issues are high on Biden’s agenda at the World’s Largest Economies Conference.
“The cross-cutting issue (on Saturday) is that the United States is deeply committed to our allies and partners and to diplomacy at the highest levels,” the official said.
The topic of the first session is the global economy and the pandemic, and its main goal will be to agree to global minimum taxes, one of Biden’s priorities that the White House believes will end global competition to provide the lowest corporate taxes.
This measure will tax large multinational corporations at a minimum rate of 15%, and will force them to pay taxes in the countries in which they do business. The Biden government breathed new life into the initiative earlier this year and secured the support of G7 nations in June, paving the way for an initial agreement in July.
“In our opinion, this is more than just a tax deal. It is a rewriting of the rules of the global economy,” the official said.
Aspects of Biden’s new spending proposal would endorse part of the global minimum tax scheme, though the fate of that measure remains uncertain as Democrats debate the deadline.
Biden government officials have played down the impact of party infighting on Biden’s ability to mobilize foreign leaders.
These world leaders are really sophisticated. They understand. “There is a complex process in any democracy to do something as ambitious as we look for on our domestic agenda,” the government official said. “These are multigenerational investments, and of course we’re trying to reform the tax code to pay for it.”
The official said Biden also plans to “talk about the short-term imbalance in supply and demand in global energy markets” during the first session of the G20. “We would like to raise the issue and stress the importance of finding more balance and stability in both the oil and gas markets.”
However, the official said that Biden will not be directly involved in the decisions of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on increasing supply.
“We certainly will not meddle in the details of what is happening within the group, but we have a voice and intend to use it on an issue that affects the global economy.”
“There are big energy producers with idle capacity,” the official said. “And we encourage them to use it to ensure stronger and more sustainable recovery around the world.”
Iran should also be on the agenda of the United States and its key allies.
Biden will meet, Saturday (30), with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, to discuss ways to return to the nuclear agreement aimed at containment. The White House said Iran’s program.
Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement in 2018 and Biden said the United States would rejoin once Tehran returned to full compliance with the agreement’s restrictions on nuclear development.
The president is expected to hold additional bilateral meetings with world leaders while in Rome, although the White House has yet to make any official statements.
There will also be a traditional “family photo” of the leaders, which will be one of the most photographed opportunities to meet during the summit.
The president’s interactions with world leaders will be closely watched over the weekend, particularly as he attempts to ease a diplomatic feud with one of the United States’ oldest allies, France.
The US, UK and Australia announced a new partnership last month that included providing assistance to help Australia develop nuclear-powered submarines.
France says the deal was done in secret and jeopardized an existing $1 billion contract to supply Australia with diesel-powered submarines. In an admirable rebuke to the ad, Macron briefly summoned France’s ambassador to the United States.
On Friday (29) in Rome, Biden said his government was “clumsy” in dealing with the deal that deprived France of billions of dollars in defense contracts when he met Macron, who appeared ready to leave the fray – though he made clear that Washington would need to prove its credibility in the future.
The meeting was the first time the two leaders had met face to face since the spat. Biden said he had the impression that France had been told “well before the deal.” [com a Austrália] will not come true.”
In addition to meeting Macron on the first day of their trip, Biden and First Lady Gilles, Pope Francis, met at the Vatican.
Biden, a Catholic, met the Pope for 90 minutes. The president later said that Francisco told him he was glad he was a “good Catholic” and that he should continue to receive Communion despite opposition from some conservative American bishops over his support for abortion.
Biden also received Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
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