Geopolitical challenges loom over the G20 summit in Bali. 

By Safira Rachmadian, BA International Relations and Global Development

On Monday 14 November, leaders of the G20 nations arrived in Bali, Indonesia for the annual G20 summit. This year’s summit has been overshadowed by peak political unrest concerning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as increasing tensions between the US and China. It is without a doubt that the role of hosting the G20 summit this year was an unenviable position.

What is the G20 summit?

The G20 is made up of 20 members – the world leaders of the major economies. This includes Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, Türkiye, the UK, the US, and the EU, amongst others. The G20 accounts for 60% of the global population, 85% of the world’s economy and 75% of world trade. 

The G20 has played a role in enabling an inclusive global economy for developing countries. Its primary purpose is to provide a forum for international economic cooperation. 

The G20 summit in Bali was the biggest gathering of a group of leaders since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. To guarantee everyone’s attendance, it was reported by Kompas, an Indonesian news outlet, that Jokowi Widodo – president of Indonesia – personally called world leaders. Last year, a few notable guests, such as Chinese Leader Xi Jinping, attended the conference online, but almost all world leaders were able to attend the summit face-to-face this year against the backdrop of ongoing geo-political tensions. Before the event, Jokowi had set an agenda to focus on pressing issues such as economic recovery from the pandemic, global health and food security, and climate change. Although the G20 primarily focuses on transnational economic issues, this year’s G20 summit also turned its attention to the war in Ukraine. An invitation was extended to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to attend the summit virtually. 

Every year, world leaders stand together for what is called a ‘family reunion’ photo at the G20. However, this year’s G20 avoided the tradition, underscoring the discontent amongst world leaders. 

Biden and Xi Jinping provide Hope for Better Relations.  

Although not an established G20 meeting, President Joe Biden and President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, met face-to-face as leaders for the first time. This comes after tensions between the US and China escalated during the summer of this year when Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. Biden raised concerns about the practices in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong, highlighting human rights issues. Additionally, Biden raised US objections to the PRC’s ‘coercive and increasingly aggressive actions towards Taiwan’. Xi Jinping reiterated that China does not seek to change the international world order, asking Biden to explore ways which allow both nations to cooperate and coexist peacefully to benefit the two countries and, subsequently, the world. 

Despite the two leaders’ disagreements on the PRC’s policy towards Taiwan, they did reach a consensus regarding Russia. Both leaders hold a heavy stance against Putin’s threat over the use of nuclear weapons, stating that, ‘a nuclear war can never be fought and can never be won.’ Similarly, the two leaders agreed to work together when tackling issues such as climate change, global food security and macroeconomic matters. 

Putin’s no-show and Zelensky’s Plea 

The controversy around Putin’s attendance was one of the main concerns threatening the success of this year’s G20 summit. President Jokowi has stated that he would like to play the role of ‘peace-maker’, even going as far as visiting Kyiv and Moscow to urge Putin for a ceasefire. However, by the time leaders started to plan their journeys to Bali, Putin sent Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on his behalf. Nevertheless, this decision came as no surprise as leaders of the G7 had earlier provided Jokowi with an ultimatum: Putin’s attendance would have meant G7 absence. Before the event, UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, asserted that his government ‘will call out Putin’s regime.’ Facing pressure from world leaders, Sergei Lavrov walked out of the summit when questioned about Ukraine. When asked about the summit, Lavrov claimed that the summit was too politicised. 

President Zelensky was also able to attend the summit via video call. The President of Ukraine prepared a speech and sent copies of his speech written in the languages of each member of the G20. Addressing the summit as the G19 – a snub aimed at Russia – Zelenskyy celebrated the retaking of Kherson and urged the world leaders to become ‘co-creators of peace’ to stop the war in Ukraine. Moreover, most of the members in the G20 summit voiced their opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, including their opposition in the declarations of this year’s G20 summit.  

What can we learn from the G20 Bali summit? 

“Assessing the geopolitical obstacles that the Indonesian Presidency of the G20 faced, commentators have praised Indonesian diplomats and their members of the foreign ministry for pulling off what critics have deemed a ‘diplomatic success’.”

Despite political tensions, world leaders were able to reach a general consensus regarding climate change, committing to decreasing temperature rises by 1.5 degrees rather than 2 degrees. Additionally, the summit welcomed economic reforms to strengthen multilateral trade and help the economies of developing countries post-COVID-19. Assessing the geopolitical obstacles that the Indonesian Presidency of the G20 faced, commentators have praised Indonesian diplomats and their members of the foreign ministry for pulling off what critics have deemed a ‘diplomatic success’. Academic observer Aaron Connolly states that at the height of the intergovernmental conflict, the summit did not “fall apart”. This not only shows that a country considered to be in the Global South can accommodate the needs of both the West and Russia but can also produce a political environment enabling diplomacy and reaching a consensus during peak political turmoil. 

Photo Caption: Rishi Sunak and Justin Trudeau wearing matching batik shirts enjoy a selfie with FIFA president Gianni Infantino at the G20 conference (Credit: South China Morning News).