BRUSSELS European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen pitched the bloc as a dependable partner in a transactional world Thursday as she hosted about a dozen Global South leaders at an investment conference in Brussels. Rwanda's Paul Kagame and Angola's Joao Lourenco were among those attending the opening of a two-day event aimed at bolstering a global infrastructure plan that Brussels hopes can counter China's global growing influence. "Tariffs and trade barriers are back as a tool of geopolitics