As soon as he landed in New Delhi on Friday evening, the President of the United States was sent to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Joe Biden is one of fifteen leaders who will hold bilateral talks with the head of government who holds the rotating presidency of the G20. But he was the only one who had the privilege of being hosted at Modi’s home, a sign of the importance India attaches to relations with the world’s largest economy. The remaining dignitaries have no shortage of opportunities to see their hosts – if only on posters spread across the city’s main thoroughfares. While the absence of Xi Jinping (and, on a different scale, Vladimir Putin) diminished the importance of the summit, these two leaders reiterated this, while United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, who adopted the meeting’s motto as its motto nam (A Earth, a family, a future), noted that today’s world resembles “a very dysfunctional family.”

“The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the G20 and expressed confidence that the outcomes of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi will achieve the common goals of accelerating sustainable development, strengthening multilateral cooperation and creating a will promote global consensus on inclusive economic policies to tackle our biggest challenges. common challenges, including the reframing and strengthening of multilateral development banks,” said a statement published by the White House, which touched on many other themes of the strategic partnership.

The meeting was also marked by the team of journalists accompanying Biden being denied access to the residence.

But what can this summit of heads of state and government achieve? The Indian presidency has focused on increased lending to developing countries from multilateral institutions, international debt reforms, regulation of cryptocurrencies and the impact of geopolitical uncertainties (read the war in Ukraine) on food and energy security.

However, during ministerial-level meetings, the bloc failed to issue a joint statement. The language about the Russian invasion did not allow this, as Russia itself and China are against holding Moscow responsible for the aggression, while countries such as the United States, Great Britain, France and Canada called for a condemnation.

Modi, who says his country is becoming the voice of the “global south” – a phrase with no clearly defined boundaries but associated with developing countries – has invested heavily in the summit, the highest level the country has ever organised. In terms of security, 130,000 people monitor the streets of the capital, while anti-drone systems are active. In order to fully accommodate guests, an area of ​​93 hectares next to the Bharat Mandapam (India Pavilion) conference center no longer has slums, its facades are painted, fountains and flowers decorate the roundabouts in the area.

Projecting the image of a third world leader, Modi wants to showcase a flourishing and developed India (or Bharat), as evidenced by the recent expedition to the moon and the ongoing mission to study the sun. to his 1.4 billion compatriots when he is ready to move forward with a third candidacy for the parliamentary elections, which will take place in 2024.

However, according to several analysts, the only trump card Modi has up his sleeve is, at best, the inclusion of the African Union. Only one country on the continent, South Africa, is part of the G20. The measure has the outspoken support of the European Union and several other countries, but a handful have remained silent.

It is diplomat Sergei Lavrov who represents Russia, similar to the previous summit in Bali. Meanwhile, leader Vladimir Putin was internationally wanted for war crimes, but he was able to go to the summit without fear of arrest as India has not signed the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, unlike South Africa, which hosted for the top. BRICS summit, in which Putin participated via video conference. This time he claimed a “busy schedule”.

For British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the Russian leader is “the architect of his own diplomatic exile”. He concluded: “Meanwhile, the rest of the G20 is demonstrating that we will show up and work together to pick up the pieces of Putin’s destruction.”

Xi generates speculation

The person who did not attend the G20 summit for the first time since he came to power in 2012 is Xi Jinping. In fact, the Chinese leader’s absence from the G20 summits is unprecedented. Unlike Putin, Xi showed no satisfaction in staying home, where he will host his counterparts from Venezuela and Zambia, Nicolás Maduro and Hakainde Hichilema respectively, on week-long state visits. Both countries have enormous debt burdens. But the economic situation in China is also far from rosy. The crisis in the real estate sector, high youth unemployment and the loss of foreign investment could, among other things, lead to Xi no longer wanting to talk about his country abroad and at the same time showing commitment to domestic tasks.

This hypothesis would confirm a report from Japan’s Nikkei Asia, according to which Xi was held responsible for the country’s direction by his senior comrades in the Communist Party. The criticism was heard directly in an unprecedented tone at an annual meeting of most veterans with the president, and he was very upset. His absence from a conference where he was due to speak, at the BRICS summit, gave rise to this speculation, but also another: that he was ill.

Other explanations for why Prime Minister Li Qiang is the envoy to New Delhi include the controversy caused in India by the new official Chinese map: it shows the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet, and within Chinese borders; because relations with the US do not show any improvement – and because Apple loses 200 billion in stock market value with new restrictions applicable to the iPhone on the Chinese market – and therefore does not want to share the stage with a country that has a lot in that area allies has forum.

The most likely thesis, however, is that Beijing no longer views the G20 as a priority diplomatic tool, preferring the BRICS and the One Belt, One Road initiative (which will hold an international conference in October to mark its tenth anniversary) to celebrate). Several diplomats accredited to Beijing and consulted by Reuters believe Xi’s absence confirms the trend away from the West and its allies.

The margin

India or Bharat?

The Indian government sent invitations to the participating delegations for the official dinner, in which the head of state Droupadi Murmu is referred to as “President of Bharat”, which caused some surprise. Bharat is the name of the country in Sanskrit and what Hindu nationalists want to use instead of India, a name coined during British colonization. However, the Constitution settles the issue in its first article: “India, i.e. Bharat, shall be a Union of States.”

Vegetarian in gold

Tonight’s gala meal, without the presence of meat or eggs, is served on luxurious tableware. The 15,000 pieces of cutlery are made of silver and some are gold-plated, an order produced in 50,000 hours of work by 200 Indian artisans.

Card Monkeys

The organization does not want any unforeseen events of any kind. In recent days, the area around the prime location has been a target for dog cleaning. Days earlier, cardboard images of langurs were posted with the aim of scaring the real primates.

Biden in tests

Jill Biden, the wife of the US president, has mild symptoms of Covid. Since being diagnosed on Monday, Joe Biden has been tested regularly, including before boarding the presidential plane and during the trip. The couple spent the weekend together.

[email protected]