Scott Morrison and Donald Trump to meet ahead of G20 summit

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will dine with President Trump ahead of the G20 in Japan, lobbying for a tough crackdown on social media giants allowing terrorist violence.

President Donald Trump will be in Osaka ahead of the G20. Picture: AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Scott Morrison will use culinary diplomacy to lobby US President Donald Trump to join efforts on a global crackdown on social media giants who allow their platforms to be used to as a platform for extremism.

The pair will dine in Osaka on Thursday night for a high-level working dinner on the eve of the G20 summit in Japan.

The meeting of the Group of 20 major economies in Japan, beginning Friday, is set to be dominated by trade tensions between the United States and potential sections against Iran after it shot down an unmanned US aircraft.

It comes as day after the PM to urge the President to keep engaged with his Chinese counterpart to resolve their trade tensions.

The high-level talks are expected to include US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Mr Trump’s top national security adviser John Bolton and his daughter, Ivanka, who is one of his senior aides.

Mr Morrison told the Herald Sun the meeting with Mr Trump and his senior team highlighted the “strength and candour” of Australia-US relationship.

“Working together with Prime Minister Abe as this year’s G20 host, the President and I will be working to make progress on the key issues facing the international community,” Mr Morrison said.

“From efforts to relieve the strains on our global trading system to greater digitalisation and the need for social media companies to step up to better protect our citizens, the US and Australia have significant roles to play.”

Mr Morrison met with President Trump at last year’s G20. Picture: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

He said the Indo-Pacific region was where both countries had had a long history of shared interests.

“(It’s) where our people made great sacrifices, and the President and I recognise how important that history is in shaping our partnership into the future,” he said.

“Australia and the United States have different but complementary roles to play in the Indo-Pacific. It is in our interest to continue working together with other players to advance regional stability and prosperity.”

After introducing the world’s toughest laws on social media companies for allowing their platforms to be used for terrorist propaganda and violence, Mr Morrison vowed to lobbied G20 leaders to take global action.

Mr Morrison will also likely hold bilateral talks with newly elected Indian prime minister Narenda Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron.

He will be accompanied in Osaka by Trade Minister Simon Birmingham, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann and Ambassador to the US, Joe Hockey.

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It comes amid new prospects of Middle East conflict, as the drone shootdown followed a series of explosive strikes on oil tankers in the Gulf.

Mr Trump is expected to meet at least eight world leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin, to win support for sanctions on Iran.

The year-long trade war between the US and China is likely to dominate discussions, with Mr Trump and President Xi agreeing last week to revive trade talks that collapsed in early May, after the United States accused China of reneging on its pledges.

Both sides have slapped tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of each other’s imports in the nearly year-long trade war, even as they have tried to hammer out a broad trade deal.