Absence of Russia and China from G20 Summit points to “difficult times”

RAJESH SHARMA, EOI,  NEW DELHI, 8 SEPTEMBER 2023 : Chief Coordinator for India’s G20 Presidency Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Friday that first ever G20 Summit to be held in New Delhi on Saturday and Sunday would be “transformational” in efforts to make the world less vulnerable to shocks like Covid pandemic and conflict. 

“This is the first time we are chairing the G20 but these are difficult times,” he said. “And India has taken the lead as the world's largest economy at a time when we are witnessing unprecedented global challenges. We have, in many ways, contributing through our own experiences and our own achievements to provide solutions to those challenges through the G20." 

Shringla, former External Affairs Secretary of India, also wanted to present to the world the "people-centred development model" that India had adopted in its own country. "We are telling the world through the G20 that we should work for human- centred globalization and work for the global common good," he said. 

India is happy to share its own experiences with our G20 partners globally." The absence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of China Xi Jinping from the list of world leaders coming to Delhi has highlighted the lack of consensus on some of the issues; though senior representatives from these countries are certainly participating. 

In the backdrop of the Russia – Ukraine crisis and the subsequent global food and energy insecurity, the gathering of world leaders is certainly to express their concerns about global economic recovery, supply chain disruptions, inflation management and monetary tightening. India is likely to focus on cryptocurrency regulation, multilateral development bank reforms, development of digital public infrastructure, climate finance, creation of debt relief frameworks for distressed countries and improvement in global value chain.