(Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Germany's partners in the Group of 20 states to avoid deeper divisions in economic policy as these may become irreconcilable, and to seek inclusive “win-win” solutions that benefit all instead.
Commenting in her weekly podcast, the German leader said the G-20 summit in Hamburg this week offers a good platform for states to air their “different interests” and is an opportunity to forge common policies that benefit the global economy.
The pursuit of one-sided economic interests risks creating “irreconcilable conflicts” between states, she said. G-20 partners should grab the opportunity this week to think beyond their self interests “for the well-being of the global economy, creating a win-win situation.”
Merkel's hopes that the two-day meeting in the German port can achieve a consensus on policies as diverse as trade rules and climate may be fading. The magazine Der Spiegel said on June 30 U.S. President Donald Trump may use the forum to raise grievances from European bans on U.S. beef imports to Germany's export surplus with the U.S.
While some states view globalization as an opportunity for all to gain, others view the world as “something like an arena” where each seeks to maximize its advantage over competitors, Merkel said in a speech in Berlin on June 30.
“The discord is obvious and it would be dishonest to paper over the conflict,” she said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Brian Parkin in Berlin at bparkin@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Reed Landberg at landberg@bloomberg.net, Chris Malpass, Andrew Blackman
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