The world’s leading economies spoke out against a return to protectionism and defended the unfashionable concepts of free trade and globalisation yesterday, warning the listless global economy needs an urgent reboot.
 The G20 summit took place in China as rising populist sentiment puts them under pressure to sidestep difficult commitments, and with a stumbling push for a Syria ceasefire and Asia’s territorial disputes intruding on the agenda.
 “We have agreed... to support the multilateral trade system and oppose protectionism,” said China’s President Xi Jinping after hosting the gathering in the scenic eastern city of Hangzhou.
 “G20 leaders all agreed that the risks and challenges facing the world economy make it crucial to maintain a peaceful and stable international environment.”
 At the end of the tightly choreographed talks, held in an imposing hall in a largely deserted city, Xi produced resolutions on combating industrial overcapacity and boosting international cooperation on corporate taxation.
 Leaders also turned to the global refugee and migrant crisis, the White House said, calling for “global efforts in addressing the root causes and effects”, including providing support for refugees and their host countries.
 EU President Donald Tusk said in Hangzhou at the weekend that Europe was “close to limits” on its ability to accept more refugees and urged the broader international community not to shirk its responsibilities.
 Syria, the source of many of those migrants, was one of the geopolitical issues that swirled around the gathering.
 The US and Russia tried and failed to strike a deal on stemming the violence in the disastrous five-year conflict, even as a string of bomb attacks hit across the country, underlining the urgency of the task.