G20 china_web

Editors’ introductions
Innovation is the summit's first and
potentially most transformative priority
Leaders need to adopt President Xi's
vision of an ecological civilisation
John
Kirton
Co-director
G20 Research Group
China’s G20 leadership
promises to make
Hangzhou a summit of
substantial success
Xi’s preface in the December document
called on the G20 to play a key role
as a leader in international economic
cooperation. Innovation – the first, most
novel and potentially transformative
priority – focused on new growth engines,
innovation-driven development and
comprehensive innovation in science
and technology, development concepts,
institutions and mechanisms, and
business models. Invigorating the global
economy, the second priority, contained,
as usual, structural reforms, international
economic cooperation, global economic
governance and endogenous sources of
high-quality growth. Interconnectivity,
the third priority, highlighted China’s
traditional link between growth and
development, openness and cooperation,
and connectivity across all dimensions.
Inclusiveness, the fourth priority,
included development and the
need to close the gap, share
benefits, and reduce inequalities.
China's priorities
In addition, Hangzhou was
due to address those items
identified by the leaders
at their previous summit.
These were, above all,
future summits, sustainable
development and tax. Then
came macroeconomic
policy, labour, ageing
and the mobility of the
John Kirton is Co-director of the G20
Research Group, Director of the G7
Research Group, and Co-director of
the BRICS Research Group and the
Global Health Diplomacy Program,
all based at Trinity College and the
Munk School of Global Affairs at
the University of Toronto, where he
is a professor of political science.
He is also a Non-Resident Senior
Fellow at the Chongyang Institute
for Financial Studies at Renmin
University of China and author of
China’s G20 Leadership.
@jjkirton
www.g7.utoronto.ca
labour force, investment, corruption,
energy, infrastructure, terrorist finance,
international financial architecture and
health. This comprehensive list strongly
suggested that China would mount a fullstrength
summit. Anti-corruption reflected
Xi’s domestic priority. Terrorist finance
proved to be a particularly prescient item.
The newer item of ageing and workforce
mobility responded to the demographic
needs of China, Germany, Japan and Russia
and the influx into Europe of migrants.
Health contained acute outbreak events
such as Ebola and Zika, general global
health risks, antimicrobial resistance, weak
health systems, and occupational health
and safety.
Considerable progress has been made
in 10 key areas (see box). The level of
China’s G20 leadership promises to make
Hangzhou a summit of substantial
success. However, to realise Xi’s
bold ambitions leaders must
do more to address the
immediate needs on fiscal
stimulus, climate, energy,
health and food security,
gender equality, migration
and terrorism. Above all,
they need to take his
vision of an ecological
civilisation for China
as their blueprint
for the world. Then they
can make Hangzhou
the most successful G20
summit ever. G20
G7G20.com September 2016 • G20 China: The Hangzhou Summit 79