German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks at a news conference in Berlin, Germany July 5, 2017. REUTERS/Michele Tantussi

BERLIN (Reuters) - The G20 summit in Germany should strengthen international cooperation and Berlin remains committed to the implementation of a major climate protection agreement, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday on the eve of the gathering in Hamburg.

“We’re united in our will to strengthen multilateral relations at the G20 summit, that we need an open society, especially open trade flows,” Merkel said during a joint news conference with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Merkel added that both countries also supported the implementation of the Paris climate protection agreement - a major international pact of which U.S. President Donald Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal.

Lee said Singapore and Germany were both strongly committed to an open international trading system, adding that he expected a free trade agreement with the European Union to be signed soon.