NEW DELHI: G20 leaders began to descend on New Delhi on Friday (Sep 8), hoping to make progress on trade, climate and a host of other global problems despite the Chinese and Russian presidents skipping the summit.
The G20 was conceived in the throes of the 2008 financial crisis as a way of managing the global economy.
But as presidential and prime ministerial jets began landing in the Indian capital, the pointed absence of China’s Xi Jinping raised questions about what, if anything, the disparate bloc can still agree on.
As the summit was set to begin, officials had yet to achieve the normally routine task of smoothing over disagreements and finalising a joint communique for leaders to sign off on.
No official reason has been given for Xi’s no-show, but China has been open about its desire to upend traditionally US-led groupings such as the G20 and replace them with something more amenable to Beijing’s interests.
Xi will instead host the leaders of Venezuela and Zambia in Beijing.
Diplomatic opprobrium and war crimes charges are also keeping Russian leader Vladimir Putin away, although Moscow continues to press allies to water down international condemnation of its invasion of Ukraine.
“Once again, Vladimir Putin is failing to show his face at the G20,” said British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
“He is the architect of his own diplomatic exile, isolating himself in his presidential palace and blocking out criticism and reality.”
“The rest of the G20, meanwhile, are demonstrating that we will turn up and work together to pick up the pieces of Putin’s destruction.”
“MONITORING CAREFULLY”
Heading to the summit, US President Joe Biden also insisted that the meeting would still “deliver”, even as markets fretted that a trade war between the world’s two largest economies was poised to escalate.
Rumours have swirled that China may be poised to ban Apple’s ubiquitous iPhone.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, speaking on Air Force One bound for the summit, parried queries about those rumours.
Questions such as “what’s motivating them, what the scope of this will be, and what they think the net effect of that will be” were for Beijing to answer, he said.
Source: CNA
