EU-Japan summit to set G-20 agenda

JAPANESE Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and top European leaders are making final preparations for this week's important EU-Japan summit. The meetings will not just deepen their bilateral strategic partnership, but also set the agenda for June's G-20 summit in Osaka.

This week's discussions in Brussels will therefore be broad-ranging on issues from climate change to connectivity. However, one topic may stand out above all else: the future of international trade and the rules-based economic order.

Japan, which remains the world's third largest economy after the United States and China, and Europe's second largest export market in Asia, has recently stepped up its leadership of the international trade agenda. And with it having the G-20 presidency this year, this issue is likely to be a key one not just this week, but also in Osaka which could cause diplomatic fireworks with the Trump administration given its protectionist leanings.