Joe Biden to Attend G20 Summit; Absence of Russian and Chinese Leaders

According to the White House, Joe Biden, the President of the United States, will attend the G20 summit in India with significant goals and great hope for cooperation among leading, wealthy, and developing countries on important global issues. This comes as the COVID-19 test result for Jill Biden, the First Lady of the United States, has been reported positive, and she is infected with the virus. Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House spokesperson, told reporters that Joe Biden is healthy and shows no signs of illness. She did not provide details about the White House's contingency plan if the President's test comes back positive before the trip to India. According to Jake Sullivan, the White House National Security Advisor, the Biden administration will focus on issues such as climate change, debt restructuring, and the war in Ukraine. The G20 leaders' summit will begin on Sunday in New Delhi, the capital of India. Mr. Sullivan stated, 'We hope this G20 leaders' meeting will demonstrate that the world's major economies can cooperate even in times of challenges.' He added, 'Our focus is on providing services for developing countries, advancing key priorities for the American people, including climate and technology issues, and demonstrating our commitment to the G20 as an effective forum.' Analysts say the absence of Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, and Xi Jinping, the President of China, two key leaders, will impact the proceedings, especially regarding the biggest challenge that Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, as host, will face. According to John Kirton, head of the G20 Research Group at the University of Toronto, the major challenge is whether member countries can achieve a complete agreement and issue a joint statement like last year's summit in Bali, Indonesia, which included sections on Russia's conflict with Ukraine that also garnered Moscow's approval. According to this expert, Narendra Modi has the difficult task of bringing countries together to reach a full consensus. He believes that the absence of Vladimir Putin, and possibly Xi Jinping at this year's summit, is a positive point and will facilitate agreement for other countries. Joe Biden recently expressed that he was 'disappointed' by Xi Jinping's absence from the G20 summit. However, the U.S. President said, 'I am going to see him.' Jake Sullivan did not provide details on when such a meeting would take place. According to Stephanie Segal, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, another important issue is the border and geographical disputes between India and China, which may influence the negotiations among G20 leaders. Nevertheless, she hopes that New Delhi and Beijing can play a positive role in the summit beyond these disputes and focus on reforming important international institutions like the World Bank.