CHINA/FOREIGN DIGNITARIES/G20/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump will arrive Thursday [6–27-19] at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan — his third time attending the yearly gathering as President and, in some ways, the most consequential. He is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping for trade talks that could have a lasting impact on the global economy. He is also expected to huddle with Russian President Vladimir Putin for their first face-to-face following the conclusion of Robert Mueller’s investigation. And he’ll discuss a tenuous Iran situation with other world leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Unlike Trump’s recent state visits to Tokyo and London, this stop is not about pageantry — or really even about him. Instead, it’s a gathering of leaders from the world’s largest economies meant to discuss pressing economic and geopolitical issues. Though the leaders all meet together several times, the real action takes place on the sidelines when one-on-one talks between countries can produce major announcements. Trump has clashed with many of the other G20 leaders on trade and security matters. With some top American allies, he seems to lack chemistry. Other, more adversarial leaders have had better luck.”
–Kevin Liptak, “Trump’s G20 orbits around Xi, Putin and other world leaders,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, June 26, 2019 3:27 pm