COUNTER-TERRORISM

G20 leaders gathered at a meeting on counter-terrorism on Friday morning ahead of the summit, during which the Chinese president proposed that a united global front against terrorism should be created.

In recent years, the international community has strengthened cooperation on counter-terrorism and spread of terrorist organizations has been curbed, Xi stressed.

However, terrorism has not been uprooted, he added.

China proposes establishing a united global front against terrorism to eradicate the roots of terrorism, cut off the channels for terrorists to obtain funds, and stop the use of Internet by terrorists to spread terrorism, he said.

"China itself is a victim of terrorism and is on the frontline of the international fight against terrorism," Xi said.

"China will actively participate in the international counter-terrorism cooperation and offer support to other countries in strengthening capacity building in this regard, thus jointly providing a security umbrella for people around the world," he added.

The G20 is a main forum for global economic and financial cooperation that brings together the world's major advanced and emerging economies, representing around 85 percent of global GDP, 80 percent of world trade, and two-thirds of the world population.

The G20 started in 1999 as a meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis.

The members include 19 individual countries along with the European Union.

In 2008, the first G20 Leaders' Summit was held in Washington, DC in the United States, and the group played a key role in the response to the global financial crisis.