U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives June 27 at the Group of 20 Leaders’ Summit with a full schedule during his two-day stay.
The secretary’s agenda in Osaka, Japan, includes meeting heads of state with President Trump, advancing global trade and inclusive growth, and pushing for the development of a market-based alternative to debt-trap diplomacy. The G20 is a meeting of the world’s 20 largest economies.
“Secretary Pompeo will join President Trump to meet with Japanese Prime Minister [Shinzō] Abe on the sidelines of the Group of 20 Summit,” said State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus. The U.S. coordinates closely with Japan on the shared goal of the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea.
Trump and Abe have met several times in the past two years, and they talk regularly by phone. During a state visit to Japan in May, Trump said, “The prime minister and I continue our close consultation in pursuit of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula. The U.S.-Japan alliance is steadfast and ironclad.”
At the summit, Pompeo also will sit in on Trump’s meetings with leaders from Australia, India, China, Canada, Turkey and Russia. These bilateral and trilateral talks are expected to focus on fair and reciprocal trade; national security and women’s empowerment as building blocks for economic security; artificial intelligence and emerging technologies; and energy innovation.
In addition, the U.S. stands firmly behind Japan’s efforts at the summit to promote standards for financing infrastructure projects that don’t saddle developing countries with crushing debt. Both countries share the goals of ensuring that development finance is market-based, transparent, and accountable, and that the ports, roads and railways being built are of high quality and function as intended.
Pompeo’s itinerary at the summit also includes the customary “family photo” with G20 participants and dinner with his Japanese counterpart, Tarō Kōno, and other G20 foreign ministers.