Chinese President Xi Jinping met with a number of foreign leaders – including some from US allies and major developing economies – on the first day of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Bali, Indonesia. Those Xi interacted with on the sidelines of the G20 include French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Senegalese President Macky Sall, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Spanish President Pedro Sanchez and Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez. Chinese experts say this reflects China’s multi-faceted diplomacy and its growing influence in handling international affairs.
DESPARDES.com asked an analyst who is based in Asia-Pacific to comment. His take: “After six full years of bitter vituperation, demonizing and sanctioning China, several G20 govts. have been forced to acknowledge China’s permanence as a major global presence. Now that Xi has demonstrated both his, and the CPC’s resilience despite unending Western pressure, and there is a general recognition that not many global issues can effectively be resolved without China’s active engagement, those very same critics are now lining up to meet and greet Xi. However, while Western recriminations may tone down a bit, actual anti-China policy is likely to persist”.
Mr. Mushtaq Siddiqui, Group Editor of Islamabad-based Al Akhbar & National Herald Tribune says, “For the first time he was seen like a leader of an open society –very vocal in expressing his views.”
According to Mr. G R Baloch, a Pakistani analyst, China is the pivot of geopolitics and Geoeconomics of the world, As per the law of physics Centrifugal force attract all pieces to its center.
It was also the first time the top Chinese leader had such intensive in-person meetings with foreign leaders overseas since the COVID-19 outbreak. More here.
Bid to condemn Russian invasion divides G20
Disagreement emerged at a Group of 20 (G20) summit on Tuesday as the United States and its allies backed a resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Russia’s foreign minister dismissed as unwarranted politicization.The summit on the Indonesian island of Bali is the first G20 leaders’ meeting since Russia sent its troops into Ukraine in February. The war, which Russia has described as a “special military operation”, has overshadowed the meeting despite calls from host Indonesia for unity and a focus on action to resolve global economic problems like inflation, and food and energy security. More here.
