German foreign minister seeks to strengthen trade ties at G20 meeting

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is stepping up efforts to build international partnerships in support of free trade amid US President Donald Trump's protectionist economic policies.

"To those who seek fair cooperation in these unstable times, we offer our network of global partnerships," Wadephul said on Wednesday, ahead of a meeting with colleagues from the G20 group of leading and emerging economic powers this Friday and Saturday in the US.

Wadephul is due to visit Panama on Thursday before travelling to Atlanta in the US state of Georgia for the G20 meeting.

He said he was heading to Atlanta "to promote the principle of freedom in international economic relations."

The G20 is ideally suited to this, with Germany sharing strategic interests with countries such as India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Brazil and Mexico. "We want to deepen our economic ties with them and work together in our mutual interest to foster robust international rules," Wadephul said.

Even though members of the G20 sometimes view the world from very different perspectives, Wadephul added, it is clear to the overwhelming majority of them that "Russia and Iran must finally stop holding trade routes hostage and thereby provoking economic crises and famine."

He thanked the country for maintaining the Panama Canal "so responsibly and ensuring it is fit for the future, as well as more generally focusing on preserving balance in the region."

Due to restrictions on other sea routes, the canal is more important than ever. Over the past 12 months, a record volume of 521 million tons of goods has passed through the canal.

In Panama City on Thursday, Wadephul is due to hold talks with his Panamanian counterpart, Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez, and President José Raúl Mulino. He also plans to visit the locks of the roughly 82-kilometre waterway.