G20 Summit 2023: As world leaders are gathering in the national capital for the upcoming G20 annual summit on Saturday, India has an enormous responsibility of building a consensus and discuss global challenges and means to resolve some of them.
The highly-anticipated event will be attended by eminent leaders like Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Emmanuel Macron, Anthony Albanese, Ursula von der Leyen, Sheikh Hasina, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and others. Even though India has hosted five multilateral conferences, none of them compare to the magnitude and importance of the G20 Summit that will commence today.
The summit is marred with differences among world leaders and the absences of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi’s absence comes among territorial disputes with India over the release of a new map, while Russia’s increasing tensions with Western countries over the Ukraine conflict is sure to leave a mark on the G20 declaration. Here’s what to expect from the summit:
India’s position as a voice for the Global South
The theme of the summit is ”Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – One Earth, One Family, One Future’ under India’s presidency. Under this theme, India has taken up the mantle of amplifying the voices of developing and underdeveloped countries across the world. Not only in G20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to represent the Global South have been seen in previous multilateral conferences as well.
The nations under Global South is roughly 35% of the world GDP and comprises three-fourths of global trade. Therefore, India’s efforts to bring these countries to the G20 table and effect a rules-based post-pandemic order will be a vital addition in the summit. India’s proposal to expand the G20 by the inclusion of the African Union (AU) is a major highlight of these efforts. As of now, South Africa is the only African nation to be a part of the bloc.
If India succeeds in expanding the G20 to G21 by including the African Union, its claim for a permanent membership to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will be strengthened. On Friday, US President Joe Biden had already supported India’s bid for a permanent seat at the UNSC.
A rules-based world order amid border disputes
India has advocated for a rules-based global order in wake of its border disputes with China. Notably, Xi’s absence from the summit further exacerbates the strained ties between New Delhi and Beijing and exposes the limitations of multilateral summits. However, this will do little to hamper India’s efforts to challenge Chinese hegemony in the Asian continent and call for a post-COVID world order based on international rules.
During the East Asia Summit in Indonesia earlier this week, PM Modi sent a strong message to Beijing when he he advocated for a rules-based post-Covid-19 world order and voiced for joint efforts to strengthen the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. This is in response of China’s rising aggressiveness in claiming territories of Arunachal Pradesh – which is an integral part of India – and Aksai Chin.
China’s territorial disputes are not limited to India alone, as several countries like Myanmar, Vietnam, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan have rejected Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea. The G20 can become an effective problem for countries to raise these challenges.
India’s G20 priorities
At the crucial G20 meet, India’s top agendas will focus on Green Development, Climate Finance and propelling inclusive and resilient growth. PM Modi will focus extensively on accelerating progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Digital Public Infrastructure (DPIs) and multilateral institutions. He will also raise women-led development and G20 economic importance in the summit.
Notably, PM Modi has promised that India will become a developed country by 2047. The G20 Sherpas are now tasked with coming up with actionable outcomes on these ambitious issues to build a consensus for the leaders’ declaration. India has made considerable progress on several sectors – particularly DPIs that received a praise from the World Bank on Friday.
The shadow of Russia-Ukraine war
The Russia-Ukraine war has gripped a majority of the countries involved in G20. Russia and its ally China do not want a mention of the former’s war with Ukraine on the G20 leaders’ declaration proposed by the leaders at the end of the high-level summit. However, the European Union (EU) and other Western countries want Russia to be labelled as an aggressor and call for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
India maintains a neutral position on the conflict, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioning to Russian President Vladimir Putin that “this is not an era of war” in previous instances. However, the Ukraine conflict will remain a key focus point of the G20 Summit despite the absence of Putin in Delhi.
However, the polarisation among world leaders is a steep challenge for India as a host country for G20, as it has the responsibility to decide the agenda and build consensus among leaders. Notably, Indonesia last year barely managed to pass a joint communique with Russian and Chinese sides in agreement with Western countries. India is also hoping for a similar outcome this year, but it will be a difficult task.
PM Modi’s bilateral meetings
PM Modi has a hectic schedule in his G20 presidency with 15 bilateral meetings with world leaders. The Indian Prime Minister already had a high-profile meeting with Biden, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth on Saturday, where he discussed a range of important issues.
During PM Modi’s meeting with Biden, both sides moved forward with India’s procurement of 31 drones and joint development of jet engines. The two leaders deliberated on India’s G20 presidency, cooperation in nuclear energy, critical and emerging technologies such as 6G and artificial intelligence, and ways to fundamentally reshape multilateral development banks. The PM also discussed issues of connectivity, commercial links, infrastructure and culture with his Bangladeshi and Mauritian counterparts.
He will hold bilateral meetings with the US, Mauritius and Bangladesh today and with leaders of the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy on Saturday. On September 10, PM Modi will hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and leaders of Comoros, Turkiye, UAE, South Korea, European Union, Brazil and Nigeria. At the end of the summit, India will hand over the G20 presidency to Brazilian President Lula da Silva.
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