PM scores on trade

Morrison wins G20 agreement in face of US-China tensions

SCOTT Morrison got his trade point across at the G20 but ongoing tensions between China and the US watered down the summit’s key messages.

The group of nations agreed to reform the World Trade Organisation, just two weeks after the US and China could not agree on it at another key summit.

But the G20’s annual commitment to fighting protectionism in the global economy was missing, as the US and China continue to slap tariffs on each other.

“Sometimes the progress is made simply by bringing issues to a head,” Mr Morrison said before leaving Buenos Aires on Saturday local time.

Australia got a commitment from all nations to work on reforming the WTO to better deal with the digital economy and disputes between nations. The official communique also committed countries to dealing with climate change, except for the US, which reserved its right to use all energy sources to pursue economic growth.

But for the first time in 10 years the G20 did not explicitly condemn protectionism.

“I think this is actually a sign we’re moving on from those ideological discussions,” Mr Morrison said. “I don’t think anybody is about protectionism.”

Mr Morrison and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte also spoke about the ongoing grief their two countries share from the MH17 disaster.

Australia and the Netherlands led the investigation into the shooting down of the Malaysia Airlines flight over the Ukraine in 2014, which claimed citizens from both countries.

“I once said the only positive coming out of the terrible tragedy of MH17 is the strong bond between Australia and the Netherlands,” Mr Rutte said.