In many multilateral organizations, including the United Nations Security Council, leadership is passed down alphabetically. With this method at least sometimes everything fits together: the right country, the boss, the place, the time and everything else. Now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking over the presidency of the G20 summit is a good example of this convergence.
Even before assuming the presidency, Modi and the Indian delegation played an important role in the Bali summit statement. Many of the ideas included in the Bali Declaration are things that the Indian leadership has shared on many occasions. There’s a reason for that. India has been the country that has always taken a neutral stance on the issue which was most seriously discussed at the summit held in Bali.
At the Bali summit everyone called for an end to hostilities and the promotion of peace talks. This is the view followed by India from the very beginning. The Russian foreign minister was largely excluded from the summit, which President Putin did not attend. He has become the man to shoulder the blame diplomatically after days of developments in Ukraine, particularly after the withdrawal of Russian troops from Kherson.
With its assumption of the presidency of the G20 summit, India will now be at the center of global efforts to avoid wars. We can also help mediate between countries. The US and NATO will also expect India’s help in the peace talks. But this is a risky road. If not handled with care, responsibility for any failure must be assumed. China, always wary of India’s moves, will surely continue to try to destroy any advantage our country gains internationally. In short, India, the self-proclaimed “Grand Guru”, has begun a series of trials in undertaking this not so easy task.
Xi Jinping can be said to have won in Bali. Xi Jinping returned to the international stage with the glory of a lifelong leader. The Bali summit was chosen by Xi to end his self-proclaimed three-year isolation following the pandemic. All world leaders paid special attention to talking with the Chinese president and taking pictures together. Despite protests against human rights abuses in China and tensions in the Taiwan Strait, the pleasant atmosphere created by Xi Jinping’s talks with US President Joe Biden lasted until the end of the summit. However, the leaders were also able to convey their countries’ problems and grievances directly to the Chinese president.
Anthony Albanese, the first Australian prime minister to meet Xi since 2016, called the talks “positive and constructive”. During the conversation, Albanese also managed to highlight the detention of Australian citizens and the human rights violations suffered by the Uyghur community in Xinjiang.
French President Emmanuel Macron has asked Xi Jinping to push Putin to hold peace talks to end the war in Ukraine. Macron also said he would be interested in visiting China next year, if Covid restrictions permit. The first meeting between Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was held in Bali. Xi also did not hesitate to publicly chastise Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for leaking details of the conversation to the media. The Chinese leader rejected Trudeau’s offer to renegotiate. Xi Jinping replied that the situation should be conducive for further dialogue.
Geopolitics was the main theme of the summit. But the Indonesian delegates wanted more discussion on food and energy security and climate challenges.
The main event of the first day was the meeting between Xi Jinping and Biden. The second day, the summit was like a special meeting of the G7 summit. Leaders met to discuss the news that two people were killed by a Russian missile on the Polish-Ukrainian border. The Russian representative was relieved when he finally learned that it was a missile from a Ukrainian arms factory.
The Bali Joint Statement condemned Russia’s military action. The announcement also recalled Russia’s veto of a UN Security Council resolution calling for Russia’s military withdrawal from Ukraine.
“Most countries strongly condemn the war in Ukraine, which is causing great human suffering and exacerbating existing vulnerabilities of the global economy,” the statement underlined, halting development, fueling inflation, impacting global supply chains, on energy and food security and straining financial stability. There have been different opinions and analyzes on the current conditions and permits. Knowing that the G20 is not a forum for discussing security issues, we announce that security issues will have a major impact on the global economy.”
The participation of India and Modi in the G20 summit is commendable; Congratulations Casabianca
That’s all G20 leaders have said about the climate crisis: They will take steps to limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius and step up efforts to phase out the use of coal.
This time there was no ‘family photo’ which is part of the summit. World leaders have been disheartened by the unease created by Russia’s presence. Speaking at the summit via videoconference while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was seated, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the “G20” the “G19”, excluding Russia. Even India and China, which abstained on several resolutions condemning Russia, did not try to temper criticism against Russia.
Biden’s first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping marked the beginning of a “reset” in relations between the two superpowers. Biden managed to defuse regional tensions by saying he had no reason to believe China was likely to attack Taiwan. However, Biden has not hesitated to criticize China’s recent provocative military exercises in Taiwan. At the same time, Biden also took care to appease Jinxing by pointing out that Washington has not backed down from its “one China” policy. China’s official statement said, “This deep and open dialogue has been very constructive.” China also said officials from the two countries would work together to further enhance areas of mutual understanding. This is a huge step up from the hate generated in the previous months.
Rishi Sunak’s diplomatic debut was an average success. Especially considering the ongoing problems in his country. Sunakin’s words condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and his gaze at Lavrov may have created a positive reaction in Kiev. Sunak’s scheduled meeting with Xi Jinping was canceled due to lack of time, but the British prime minister’s interest in meeting the Chinese leader made one thing clear: Sunak’s policy is a far cry from his predecessor’s tough stance on of Beijing, and the “almost non-confrontational style” that followed the summit is the same that Sunak has adopted in his approach to China, the world’s second largest economy. .
Much of the 52-paragraph summit declaration is devoted to explaining global problems and their solutions. But all of them are nothing more than declarations of duty. It is clear that an end to war is a precondition for the world to move forward after the pandemic and war-induced disruptions to the global economy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister Jaishankar are busy with the entire machinery of government. We are trying to make full use of the opportunity presented to us by the presidency of the G20 summit by preparing a year full of conferences and shows. This will be very helpful for the BJP in 2024 elections. But if the war continues and the global economy collapses, India will be held responsible to some extent. China will continue its moves without the burden of leading the summit.
This is a great opportunity for India and 2023 is a great challenge.
Last Updated November 22, 2022, 10:10 PM IST
