G20: main conclusions of the European summit in Bali so far

The G20 group of the world’s largest economies is meeting this week in Bali, and European countries are represented by France, Germany, Italy, the European Union, the UK, Turkey and Russia.

So what are the key things we’ve learned so far?

1. Majority of G20 members condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

The draft declaration of the G20 leaders says that the “majority” of the members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine.

Participating countries emphasized that this “causes great human suffering and exacerbates existing problems in the global economy,” the draft says, suggesting that Russia opposed this language.

G20 members also expressed deep concern about the challenges posed by global food security as a result of escalating tensions and called for the need for central bank independence to continue efforts to curb soaring inflation, the draft said.

The 16-page document has yet to be adopted by G20 members.

At the first meeting of the summit, which took place on Tuesday in Indonesia, many countries condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, after which Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov left Bali.

2. China is trying to establish diplomatic relations

Beijing is using the G20 summit to try to build some diplomatic barriers in Bali, even as the EU is concerned about China’s economic influence and issues like Chinese ownership of key EU infrastructure.

French President Emmanuel Macron held a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G-20 summit on Tuesday.

In the meantime, Xi also met with new Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, signaling that they would be looking to bridge years of differences following the first formal meeting between the two leaders since 2016.

Macron asked Xi to intervene with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to persuade him to stop the “escalation” in Ukraine and return to the “negotiating table,” Yeliseisky said.

The two leaders also expressed a desire to “move forward” on a range of bilateral issues, from agriculture to aeronautics, and Macron said he wants to visit China in early 2023 if COVID-19 conditions permit.

Xi met with US President Joe Biden on Monday to help ease tensions in their bilateral relationship.

3. European leaders are getting personal with Putin

European leaders have used their G20 speeches to attack Russia and take on Putin’s personalities, even when the Russian delegation was sitting in the same room.

New British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “I will take this opportunity to unreservedly condemn Russia’s hostile and illegal war in Ukraine. And I know that other allies will do it too, because it is right that we highlight what is happening and keep Russia.” to account for this.

“I won’t shy away from it,” Sunak said.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a video address to the summit and emphasized the dismissive attitude towards Russia, calling them the “Group of 19”. Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend the event in Bali.

Zelensky reiterated 10 conditions for ending the conflict that began in February, including the complete withdrawal of Russian troops and the full restoration of Ukrainian control over its territory.

He also called for an international conference to “fix the key elements of the post-war security architecture in the Euro-Atlantic area, including guarantees for Ukraine.”

4. France uses the G20 summit in Bali to launch a new Indo-Pacific strategy.

French President Emmanuel Macron is using the G20 summit to renew France’s strategic ambitions in the Asia-Pacific region.

He is meeting with regional heavyweights, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the sidelines of the Bali summit.

Above all, he hopes for “recognition” of France’s ambitions and influence at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit Thursday and Friday in Bangkok, where it will be the first invited European country.

The problems are numerous, from the size of the territory in which France is trying to gain a foothold, more than 10,000 kilometers from Europe, to difficulties, in particular, with the deployment of military assets so far from home.

Emmanuel Macron has made this vast territory, stretching from the coast of East Africa to the coast of Western America, a strategic priority, where France has a lot of territory and maritime areas.

This vast maritime space means that France is interested in environmental and fisheries issues, as well as in the fight against ocean-related human trafficking.

France is also increasingly present militarily, advocating increased cooperation with neighboring countries.

It is increasing joint exercises with India and Japan and patrols in the China Sea.

5. EU leaders took the opportunity to talk in Bali

The leaders of the European Union met on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Bali on Tuesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron met, among others, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, as well as senior EU officials Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel.

Negotiations at the G20 summit began under the encouraging theme of “getting better together, recovering stronger” in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout.

Both industrialized and developing countries are members of the G20, accounting for 80% of global economic activity and two-thirds of the world’s population.

The summit’s official theme is financial stability, health care, sustainable energy and digital transformation, but tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have complicated host Indonesia’s efforts to reach consensus on these topics.