Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold multilateral meetings with leaders of BRICS countries, trilateral talks with leaders of India and Russia as well as meetings with leaders of African countries during the G20 summit in Japan from June 27 to 29, Chinese officials said.

Against rising protectionism and unilateralism in the US, observers and business representatives said that the summit could be a platform for China to strengthen relations with both the developing and developed world and promote regional cooperation so as to jointly defend the free trade mechanism and make the global governance system fairer.

Xi will attend the 14th G20 Summit in Osaka, marking the seventh time Xi will attend or chair the meeting, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Jun said at a press briefing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing on June 24.

On the sidelines, Xi will hold informal meetings with BRICS leaders, trilateral talks with Russian and Indian leaders as well as small-scale meetings with African leaders to communicate and negotiate on topics like “cooperation among emerging economies and developing countries and the implementation of the 2030 sustainable development agenda of the United Nations,” Zhang said.

Meanwhile, Xi will also hold bilateral meetings with leaders to deepen cooperation and push forward bilateral relations.

“Certain individual countries which advance unilateralism have abused trade remedy measures and national security concept, severely threatening global trade and economic growth. China is willing to work with all parties to firmly uphold its opening-up policy and contribute to creating a predictable and stable environment for enterprises and investors,” Zhang said.

The Chinese President’s meeting with other state leaders has become a tradition of the summit, but analysts said in the context of a world system full of uncertainties, this year’s meeting will promote China’s all-round cooperation - from trade and investment, infrastructure, the environment and military to culture - with strategic partners to hedge against risks associated with strained relations with the US.

The Xinhua News Agency reported last week that Xi agreed to meet US President Donald Trump after a phone conversation at the request of the US side. So far, top negotiators from both sides are following up on the consensus reached by the two leaders and preparing for the meeting between them, Zhang said.

The heads of state of 19 countries and the EU are expected to participate in this year’s summit, according to a statement on the G20 website.

Among their top concerns is protectionism, as the trade dispute between the world’s two largest economies involves every stakeholder and all G20 members seek to minimize such an impact, He Weiwen, a former senior Chinese trade official, told the Global Times.

The G20 members represent more than 80 percent of global GDP and 60 percent of the global population.

Chinese officials have also called on the G20 to uphold multilateralism, back international justice and create a good environment “for bringing the world economy back on the right track.”