G-20 leaders agree on trade but not climate

Leaders of the world’s 20 largest economies agreed Saturday to try to fix the world trading system after difficult, all-night talks in Buenos Aires, Argentina. And 19 of them agreed to support the Paris climate accords, which President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from in 2017. The official statement from the G-20 summit acknowledged flaws in global commerce and called for reforming the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Diplomats reached the nonbinding agreement after talks stretched overnight and into daylight Saturday. European Union representatives said the United States was the main holdout on nearly every issue. Trump has criticized the WTO and taken aggressive trade stances toward China and the EU.

With trade tensions between the United States and China dominating the summit, the Europeans sought to play mediator. They also scaled back their expectations, cutting out mention of rising protectionism—mainly aimed at Trump. On migration, the summit came up with minimalist language that recognized growing migrant traffic and the importance of shared efforts to support refugees and solve the problems that drive them to flee.