G20 Summit: What you need to know now

By: 2 years ago

U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 leaders’ summit in Bali, Indonesia, November 14, 2022. REUTERS

NUSA DUA, Indonesia — Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) nations opened talks on Tuesday with a plea from host Indonesia for unity and concrete action to mend the global economy despite deep rifts over the war in Ukraine.

Biden and Xi

* U.S. President Joe Biden said he and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping had held blunt talks on the eve of the G20 on an array of issues including Taiwan and North Korea. It was their first in-person meeting since Biden became president.

* In a statement after their meeting, Xi called Taiwan the “first red line” that must not be crossed in U.S.-China relations, Chinese state media said. Biden said U.S. policy on Taiwan was unchanged.

* Biden said he had told Xi that Beijing has an obligation to try to talk North Korea out of resuming nuclear testing.

* Biden said the two sides set up a mechanism for more frequent communications and that Secretary of State Antony Blinken would travel to China to follow up on discussions. “I think we understand each other,” Biden said.

* The two leaders agreed to allow senior officials to renew communication on climate, debt relief and other issues, the White House said after they spoke, offering a boost to behind-schedule negotiations at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt.

Russia and Ukraine

* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered an “impassioned, yet detailed” speech via videolink at the G20 summit, the European Union ambassador to Indonesia said.

* The United States expects the G20 to condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine and its impact on the global economy at the conclusion of a leaders’ meeting in Bali, a senior U.S. official said.

* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed a news agency report that he had been taken to hospital with a heart condition after arriving in Bali for the summit, scolding Western journalists for what he cast as false reporting.

Leaders’ positions and plans

* British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak extended his support for Ukraine at the G20 while confirming a long-planned order for warships from BAE Systems.

* Europe will engage with China but needs to “rebalance” the relationship to avoid becoming too reliant on the country for areas like innovative technology, European Council President Charles Michel said.

* Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol are due to hold bilateral meetings with Xi on Tuesday. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to meet the Chinese leader on Thursday on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Thailand, to be held after the G20 meeting.

* Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman left Saudi Arabia on Monday to attend the summit and will visit other Asian states, state media said, without specifying which countries.

* Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has cancelled meetings he was due to have at the summit after testing positive for COVID-19, according to a statement on his Facebook page.

COVID-19

* Indonesia, which holds the G20 presidency, has strict protocols in place for the talks. The Nusa Dua district hosting the summit has been under lockdown since Nov. 11 and will remain so until Nov. 17.