Implementation depends on the will of national governments to take action, and compliance isn’t perfect. But a common statement of purpose sets the tone for policy and enables peer pressure.
Here’s a look at what the leaders did — and didn’t — agree on:
AGREED
— To support free trade and open markets, a key promise from earlier summits aimed at helping the global economy grow in the wake of the Great Recession.
— To acknowledge that countries can use “legitimate trade defense instruments” to protect their companies if trade partners are taking advantage of them.
— To fight terrorism by, among other things, pushing internet providers to detect and remove extremist content.
— To make a renewed push to reduce excess steel production capacity — primarily in China — that has led to low prices and pressure on other producers.
COULDN’T AGREE
— To unanimously support the Paris agreement on climate change; a paragraph was agreed in which the summit participants “take note” of the U.S. decision to withdraw. It says the other leaders agree the Paris agreement is “irreversible.”
— To pursue United Nations sanctions such as asset freezes and travel bans against criminals smuggling people from Africa and the Middle East to Europe. A European Union push for such sanctions ran into opposition from several countries.
(AP)