What is expected from the G-20 summit in Bali

The leaders of the main economies of the planet meet starting this Tuesday at the G-20 summit, which this time takes place on the Indonesian island of Bali.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
14 November 2022 Monday 13:31
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What is expected from the G-20 summit in Bali

The leaders of the main economies of the planet meet starting this Tuesday at the G-20 summit, which this time takes place on the Indonesian island of Bali. A meeting that will be marked by the divisions generated by Russia's war in Ukraine and the tension between China and the US. Despite the fact that the official priorities of the meeting were issues such as recovery after the pandemic, sustainable energy and transformation digital, these points will be overshadowed by fears of a faltering global economy and geopolitical tensions.

The 19 largest economies on the planet plus the European Union are invited to the annual G-20 summit. This is: Germany, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, South Korea, USA, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Turkey and the EU. Spain has the status of permanent guest, so the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, will be present at the event.

Permanent members represent two-thirds of the world's population, in addition to 85% of world economic output and 75% of trade.

One of the most anticipated images of the summit occurred a day before its start, with the first meeting as heads of state between the Chinese president Xi Jinping and the American Joe Biden. Both leaders reaffirmed their willingness to work together and reduce the tensions that have brought the world's most important bilateral relationship to one of its lowest points.

On the other hand, the conflict in Ukraine, which is entering its ninth month, will be one of the most contentious issues. While the Western powers have aligned themselves with Kyiv and have punished Moscow with sanctions, Beijing has been close to Russian interests, although never without giving clear support. On the other hand, other nations in the group, such as host Indonesia, have refused to align themselves with one side or the other in the conflict.

Regardless of these two issues, Indonesia wants the Bali summit to focus on addressing global health measures and economic recovery after the pandemic. Also on the agenda are issues related to the climate emergency and the adoption of renewable energies.

In anticipation of possible criticism from his counterparts, Russian President Vladimir Putin will not go to Bali. The Kremlin alleges “agenda” reasons, but it is believed that the president wanted to avoid possible public humiliation like the one that occurred during the 2014 summit, after the invasion of Crimea, when he left the meeting early. Following him will be the head of Russian diplomacy, veteran Sergey Lavrov, who Indonesian sources assured yesterday that he had been hospitalized upon his arrival on the island.

Who will address the G-20 leaders, albeit by videoconference, will be the Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenski, who yesterday traveled to the recovered city of Kherson to celebrate the raising ceremony of the national flag after the withdrawal of the troops russians

Nor is the Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, who has just lost the elections to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, nor the Mexican leader, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, expected.

No. This year the world leaders will not gather in the traditional family photo due to the discomfort that many people feel being photographed together with the representative of Moscow in the middle of the war in Ukraine. In other editions, this image has been used as an opportunity to publicize any agreements reached during the appointment. However, the diplomatic discords that the photograph has sometimes revealed often end up becoming news. In 2018, following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman was ignored by the other leaders and forced to remain at the far end of the pack.