B20 Summit 2017 kicks off in Berlin

B20 Summit 2017 kicked off here on Tuesday, bringing together business representatives from 19 countries plus the European Union (EU).

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble gave the opening remarks to the two-day event, which is being held under the motto "Resilience, Responsibility, Responsiveness - Towards a Future-oriented, Sustainable World Economy."

In his speech, Schauble said nationalism and protectionism are never the right answer to global economic growth.

He was echoed by his colleague Brigitte Zypries, German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, who said "nothing good comes out from protectionism" in her remarks.

Zypries called on Group of 20 (G20) to bring about inclusive digitalization and digital transformation, saying digitalization will shape globalization and safeguard the free trade.

Trade and Digitalization are among the central topics of B20 Task Forces and Cross-Thematic Groups. Besides, world business leaders will focus on topics such as Energy, Climate and Resource Efficiency, Financing Growth and Infrastructure, Employment and Education, Small and Medium Enterprises, and Responsible Business Conduct and Anti-Corruption during the discussions.

B20 will meet and officially hand over their recommendations to German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday.

Chairman of B20 Jurgen Heraeus thought it's vital for G20 to hear business voices, saying that G20 need the expertise and advices of B20.

"If we work jointly together then we have the ability to shape the future," he said.

The summit brought together 800 participants from the G20 nations and from business, politics, NGOs and international organizations.

The B20 is an integral part of the G20 process, representing the entire G20 business community. The mission of the B20 is to support the G20 through consolidated representation of interests, concrete policy proposals, and expertise. Enditem