China's Xi Jinping takes jab at US for retreat from globalization

Chinese President Xi Jinping took a jab at the US for retreating from globalization, highlighting tensions before a meeting of world leaders divided over everything from trade to how to handle North Korea’s provocations.

Jinping slammed unnamed developed countries for fueling geopolitical risks through calls to reverse globalization and for protectionism.

Speaking in Hamburg, at the most highly-anticipated summit of G20 nations in years, Jinping professed, according to Bloomberg, that: "Major developed countries have significantly backtracked positions on trade, climate change and other issues."

Following that, ahead of a meeting with fellow leaders from the so-called BRICS group of major developing nations, which includes Brazil, Russia, India and China, Jinping said those developments affect the BRICS nations and called on them to coordinate and "speak in one voice to steer the world economy in right direction".

His remarks underscored the difficult task facing German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was chairing the two day G-20 summit.

Frictions between the US and Russia were also in the spotlight ahead of a meeting between their two presidents later on Friday, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

Among the issues affecting relations between the two nations were the sanctions on Russia, halting North Korea's nuclear weapons program and managing frictions over Syria and Iran.

Indeed, for the first time in decades the US would be represented by a president who advocated protectionism.

Tensions were running high outside the summit too, amid reports of clashes between protesters and police. The authorities used water cannon on a group of approximately 1000 people who were attempting to march to the site of the summit.