Chinese President Xi Jinping was absent from the G20 summit held in India from the 9th. As for the reason, there were rumors that he was seriously ill, that there was a feud with India over territorial issues, and even that he was abandoning his duties. All of these reports were based on arbitrary reports from the West, with no real point being made. The reason for the sudden absence was the rejection of the G7 by the United States, Europe, and Japan, and the boycott of the G20, which they deemed unnecessary. I couldn't find any reports that touched on the core of this issue, so I decided to write about it.
At the recent Summit of the Five Emerging Nations (BRICS) in South Africa, BRICS expanded its membership from China, Russia, India, Brazil, and South Africa to six countries: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Egypt, Iran, and Ethiopia. recognized and shifted to an 11-nation system. More than 40 countries are said to have applied for membership. The 11 expanded BRICS countries have a global GDP share of 30%, a population share of nearly 50%, oil production of 80%, and energy consumption of 60%. It is close to the G7 in terms of GDP, but far surpasses other indicators. Moreover, from a medium- to long-term perspective, they have begun to explore the issue of a new gold-convertible currency to replace the US dollar as their key currency. OPEC's oil payments are moving toward the renminbi.
Together with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) expanding from the Eurasian Union to a global alliance, the axis that can compete with the G7 consisting of the United States, Europe, Japan, and the EU has been solidified. More specifically, the expanding BRICS began to challenge the international order that had been led by the West since the 19th century as a framework representing the "Global South." World history is at a major turning point.
The Ukraine war is an attempt by the G7 and the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to change Russia's current regime. The issuance of an arrest warrant for President Putin by the International Criminal Court has made it impossible for Putin to attend the BRICS summit in South Africa. However, economic sanctions against Russia are generating a fierce backlash against the G7, the former suzerains of the Global South that support the expanding BRICS.
At the BRICS summit meeting in South Africa, Xi Jinping said, ``More than 20 countries have applied to join BRICS. This fact fully demonstrates the vitality and attraction of this framework and its strategic value in the international situation.'' . Absent from the G20 with Putin and suggesting that the G20 is unnecessary "will fully demonstrate the strategic value in the international situation of a new framework created under the leadership of China and Russia."
The Finance Ministers' Meeting, the most important of the G20's sectoral meetings, has been dysfunctional since February 2022, with no joint statement issued. At the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting held in New Delhi in July, disagreements over Ukraine led to confusion and a joint statement could not be agreed. At the G20 summit in September, there was conflict between the G7 and other G20 member states, who were trying to include a joint declaration that specifically condemned Russia. In the end, he avoided directly criticizing Russia over the situation in Ukraine, saying, ``In accordance with the United Nations Charter, we must refrain from using force that violates the territorial integrity and sovereignty of any country, and we must refrain from using or threatening the use of nuclear weapons.'' It is not allowed.” The G7 was forced to retreat and compromise. No, I can say I was devastated.
After the historic BRICS summit in South Africa, which was an epoch in history, Xi Jinping had Premier Li Qiang attend on his behalf at the ASEAN+3 meeting in Jakarta and the East Asia Summit attended by the US vice president. The conflict between the G7 and China, Russia, and the Global South has reached the point of no return. It should be seen that Xi's boycott of participation was the driving force behind the disbandment of the G20, which was in its twilight years.
Note: Homare Endo, an expert on China issues who can directly interview Chinese dignitaries, wrote an essay titled “Why did Xi Jinping miss the G20 summit meeting?” An exclusive interview with a former high-ranking Chinese government official https://news.yahoo.co.jp/ expert/articles/baf3d5b10c92aedf3c2a98031fc5094b291b1e7f'' writes, ``Xi Jinping's absence was due to Premier Li Qiang's diplomatic training.'' Shouldn't we go one step further and write, ``In order to show the gravity of his absence to the U.S. G7, Xi Jinping sent Li Qiang, who is not used to diplomacy, to attend on his behalf as a training exercise?''