The G-20 summit in Bali is dominated by conflicts between Ukraine, China and the United States
NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — Disarray over Russia’s war against Ukraine and rising tensions between the United States and China are providing an ominous backdrop for world leaders gathering on the tropical island of Bali in Indonesia for the Group of 20 summit that begins Tuesday.
With a recession looming as central banks battle high inflation in decades, fueled in part by the war, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said ending the conflict would be “the best thing we can do for the global economy”.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described Russia as a “rogue state” in The Telegraph newspaper and criticized its President Vladimir Putin for staying aloof.
“Managers take responsibility. They appear. However, one seat will remain vacant at this week’s G-20 summit in Indonesia,” wrote Sunak, who took office last month. “The man responsible for so much bloodshed in Ukraine and economic conflicts around the world will not be there to stand up to his own kind. He won’t even try to explain his actions.”
The pressure is mounting as Russian attacks destroy Ukraine’s vital infrastructure, adding to the suffering in damaged cities as the winter chill sets in.
The G-20 meetings provide another opportunity for leaders to demonstrate unity in support of Ukraine, a discussion that is “inseparable from how we can strengthen our collective security,” Sunak said.
The effects of the war spread across the globe in various ways, as disruptions in grain and energy supplies dramatically increased the cost of living.
“Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine is creating food and energy crises. This disrupts supply chains and increases the cost of living. Families are worried that they won’t be able to put food on the table or heat their homes in the winter,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a business conference on the sidelines of the G-20 meetings. .
Most important for countries at risk of starvation is whether Russia will agree to extend the UN’s Black Sea grain initiative, which is due to resume on Saturday.
An agreement reached in July allowed major global grain producer Ukraine to resume exports from ports that had been largely blocked for months by the war. Russia briefly withdrew from the agreement, but rejoined it a few days later.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that he was “hopeful” that the initiative would be revived after progress was made in resolving issues related to payments for Russian food and fertilizer exports.
Those efforts helped stabilize markets and lower food prices, he said.
“I hope that our efforts will be successful and that we will be able to clear the last hurdles.”
Guterres said he was happy that US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on Monday in their first face-to-face meeting since Biden took office in January 2021.
Cooperation between the two largest economies is vital to global efforts to curb carbon emissions, among other challenges caused by climate change, he said.
The meeting between Biden and Xi ahead of the start of the official G-20 summit was a step towards finding common ground despite antagonisms on trade, technology and other issues as relations grow increasingly strained.
Opening the meeting, Biden said both countries shared a responsibility to “prevent competition from turning into anything close to conflict and to find ways to work together on pressing global issues that require our mutual cooperation.”
Xi said he hoped they would “chart the right course for China-US relations.”
Chinese officials condemned the Biden administration’s decision last month to block the export of advanced computer chips to China, a national security move that heightens the U.S.’s rivalry with Beijing.
US officials said no joint statement was expected after the meeting with Xi and suggested policy breakthroughs were unlikely.
But even a meeting of top leaders from both sides after a long break during the pandemic is progress that could lead to more productive talks at the broader G-20 meeting, which includes the 19 largest economies and the European Union. Another 10 countries were invited as guests.
The G-20 was founded in 1999 as a forum for economic and financial cooperation. In 2009, top G-20 leaders began holding annual meetings to devise a response to the global financial crisis.
The group consists of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. Spain is a permanent guest.
“The G-20 was created for these moments and created for these challenges,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at the B-20 business conference, which ended on Monday.
“Together we can achieve much more than we ever could alone,” he said.
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