Indonesia will host the summit of the G20, the group of the world’s largest economies, in Bali on Tuesday with an unprecedented security commitment to what is known as the disaster-prone “island of the gods.”
Seventeen heads of state and government are expected to discuss solutions to a series of global crises on the Hindu island of the country with the largest Muslim population in the world.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the summit and will be represented by his foreign minister, as well as Brazil and Mexico.
Bali has been preparing for months to host the 20 national delegations, as well as other senior UN officials, to ensure security conditions 20 years after a terrorist attack that killed more than 200 people on the island.
“I have inspected every detail (…). We have checked everything and I want to announce that we are ready to welcome our guests to the G20,” Indonesian President Joko Widodo said this week.
For the only Southeast Asian country in the G20, the arrival of thousands of participants is also a boost for a tourism industry that has been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic for two years.
Below is a list of the main concerns and safety precautions, based on information collected by the French agency AFP:
The security operation “Puri Agung” plans to deploy 18,000 military and police personnel in the Nusa Dua area, in the south of the island.
The heads of state and government will meet in 20 hotels, including the Apurva Kempinsky, where the summit will take place, in a perimeter under military protection, with the police responsible for security outside.
Twelve naval vessels, 13 helicopters and four fighters – F16s and Sukhoi – a Boeing reconnaissance aircraft, as well as two Hercules cargo planes, including one for medical evacuations, were sent to the site.
Authorities installed facial recognition technology, more than 1,700 surveillance cameras and hundreds of pedestrian cameras worn by police officers.
The Indonesians coordinated with Chinese and US security officials, among others, and said they were cooperating with the delegations on intelligence matters.
The island of Bali is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates meet, with a high risk of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
The Indonesian archipelago has about 130 volcanoes, three of which are located on the island of Bali.
The country is regularly hit by natural disasters, one of the worst of which was the 2014 tsunami caused by an undersea earthquake off the island of Sumatra that killed more than 170,000 people in Indonesia alone.
About 1,500 members of the security forces will be specifically assigned to possible evacuations in the event of a natural disaster.
Police provided a range of vehicles and helicopters to evacuate leaders in the event of flooding or earthquakes.
Authorities cracked down on some protest attempts, such as the shutdown of a Greenpeace bicycle operation and the arrest of several foreigners.
Balinese authorities also restricted mobility on the island with a suspension of religious and traditional ceremonies during the summit, while many residents were ordered to work and study from home.
The national power company even banned residents from flying traditional kites during the event, fearing they could fall into power lines and cause blackouts.
Unprecedented meeting between China and the US and the absence of Putin
The taboo against Vladimir Putin’s presence on the island they call “of the gods” was only broken last Wednesday, when his office finally confirmed that he would not go to Bali.
The Kremlin said the decision was personally made by Putin and justified it with reasons of agenda and the need for the president to remain in Russia.
The day before, on November 9, Moscow had announced the withdrawal of its troops from Kherson, one of four regions it had illegally annexed since invading Ukraine on February 20 this year.
Two days later, the city of Kherson was recaptured by Ukrainian forces using weapons provided by their Western allies, as had previously happened to other regions under Russian control.
If he went to Bali, in addition to the criticism, Putin would risk being seen as a defeated man by the leaders of a significant part of the “collective West” who accused him of wanting to destroy Russia, a role he left to him. head of diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov.
On Monday, on the eve of the two-day G20 summit, Bali is hosting the highly anticipated meeting between Xi Jiping and Joe Biden, the first on a personal level as presidents of China and the United States, as they knew each other from other posts.
The leaders of the world’s two largest economies have spoken by phone since Biden began his White House term in January 2021, but the Covid-19 pandemic has prevented face-to-face meetings. Until Bali.
Washington announced that Biden intends to sensitize Xi to “play a constructive role in containing the worst trends” in North Korea, the diplomatic way of asking Beijing to exert its influence in Pyongyang, at a time when it is feared that the Jong-Kim regime will carry out a nuclear test.
The trade war between the two countries, China’s threats to Taiwan, the military presence in the South China Sea, human rights in Xinjiang and the war in Ukraine (and its impact on the global economy) should be other topics of discussion.
Xi may have his issues, but Beijing has not revealed what he wants to talk to Biden about.
Founded in 1999, the G20 unites 19 countries (South Africa, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, South Korea, United States, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Turkey and the United Kingdom) and the European Union.
Spain is regularly invited to G20 meetings.
Together, the G20 represents 60% of the world’s population, 80% of global gross domestic product (GDP) and 75% of global exports, according to data from the group’s Indonesian presidency.
With so many leaders on a tourist island whose economy is still trying to rebuild after two years of the pandemic, Bali will be an island of earthly “gods” until Wednesday.
There will be many bilateral and multilateral meetings, as well as disagreements: Biden revealed that he has no plans to be with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as Riyadh supported cuts in oil production to help Russia.
The G20 meeting could end without a joint communiqué due to the war in Ukraine, as happened on Sunday in Phnom Penh, at the East Asia Summit attended by some of Bali’s key players, such as Biden and Lavrov.
Who will go to the Bali summit and with what expectations?
JOE BIDEN. The US president arrives at the summit aiming to reassert US leadership and rally Westerners to Washington’s efforts to isolate Russia in response to the war in Ukraine.
Biden will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, in what will be the first face-to-face meeting between the two since entering the White House.
The two leaders have a number of issues to discuss following mounting tensions over trade, human rights in China’s Xinjiang province and the status of Taiwan.
XI JINPING. The G20 summit is a return to the diplomatic stage for Xi Jinping as he begins his third term as leader of the world’s second-largest economy.
In addition to meeting with his US counterpart, he is also expected to meet French President Emmanuel Macron less than two weeks after receiving German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Beijing.
SERGUEI LAVROV. Russia’s foreign minister will head the delegation in Moscow following Vladimir Putin’s decision not to participate in a summit that would have exposed him to a barrage of criticism from his colleagues.
The Kremlin (presidency) explained Putin’s absence with scheduling problems and the need to stay in Russia.
In July, Lavrov left a meeting of G20 chiefs of diplomacy after crackdowns on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY. The Ukrainian president, whose country is not a member of the G20, will attend the summit at the invitation of Indonesia, the country that holds the group’s rotating presidency. Zelensky is expected to reaffirm his call for the major powers to respond more vigorously to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
LEADERS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION. French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the summit and meet Xi Jinping in Bali. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who heads the EU’s largest economy, will attend and Italy will be represented by the new Prime Minister, Georgia Meloni. The head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, will also be present at the Bali summit. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, will reinforce the European presence at the summit.
RISHI ZONAK. The British Prime Minister, who took office in October, will attend his first G20. In Bali, Sunak will have the opportunity to meet several leaders, including Joe Biden.
NARENDRA MODI. The Prime Minister of India, Asia’s other giant, will meet with a host of leaders, including Biden, Macron and Sunak, the first Indian-born Briton to head the London government. India will assume the presidency of the G20 after Indonesia.
JOKO WIDODO. The host of the summit on what is known as the “island of the gods” will meet privately with most of the leaders in attendance as leader of the G20, the country he presides over this year. Jakarta hoped to refocus the summit on international cooperation to promote economic recovery after the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the Russian offensive in Ukraine, which began in February, has shifted the focus back to geopolitical and security issues.
REST OF THE WORLD. Canada, Australia and Japan are represented by their respective Prime Ministers, Justin Trudeau, Anthony Albanese and Fumio Kishida. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will also be in Bali despite tensions with North Korea. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will represent Saudi Arabia. The President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyane, whose country is not a member of the G20, will also be a guest.
Also in attendance are Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as Cyril Ramaphosa, the head of state of the only African country represented in the G20, South Africa. Brazil will be represented by its foreign minister, Carlos Franca, as the incumbent president, Jair Bolsonaro, decided not to make the trip after losing the election to Lula da Silva. Mexico is sending its head of diplomacy, Marcelo Ebrard, while Argentine President Alberto Fernandez will lead the delegation from Buenos Aires.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres will attend as an observer.
Source: DN
