Biden and Xi cool tension

The themes of global post-Covid health cooperation and a post-Ukraine energy market will ostensibly be the central themes of the G20 meeting in Bali, attended by leaders of the world’s largest economies.

But it takes place against a background of growing rifts between the major geopolitical powers. For independents like India, the desire for geopolitical stability, balancing between Russia, China and the west, which is preoccupied with Ukraine, makes unlikely any agreement on more than the broadest statement of common purpose.

In reality, interest in the meeting will be dominated by the first face to face meeting between China’s Xi Jinping and Joe Biden of the United States. Both sides seemed keen to lay the basis for a warmer relationship, but it is clear that tensions remain on Taiwan and on Ukraine.

China’s position will ensure the final agreed G20 communique´ will not condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, through Xi’s decision to oppose the use of nuclear weapons is seen as significant.

In the early days of the invasion of Ukraine, Xi committed himself to a Russian friendship “without limits”.

The worse the war goes for Putin, however, the more clearly Xi is signalling where those limits actually lie.