NEW DELHI—When President Joe Biden meets with leaders of the world’s most powerful economies over the weekend in India, he is anticipated to highlight the strength of the U.S. economy and draw contrasts with China’s growing economic woes, to position the United States as a more reliable partner.
Following the two-day summit of the Group of 20 (G20) in New Delhi, he will travel to Vietnam to formally announce an improved partnership with that communist country—delivering a strong message to China.
The trip to Asia comes against the backdrop of escalating geopolitical rivalry with China as Washington strives to boost alliances and ties with countries, especially in the Global South.
Meanwhile, President Biden is facing a series of pressing domestic political challenges, including a potential government shutdown and impeachment investigation by House Republicans.
Leaders from the world’s richest and most powerful countries are gathering in India’s capital, New Delhi, for a Sept. 9–10 summit of the G20, to discuss a wide range of issues from climate change to economic security.
While in India, President Biden is expected to meet with several leaders on the margins of the summit, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
On Sept. 8, he will hold his first bilateral meeting in India with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the White House. In June, Mr. Modi received a warm welcome at the White House during a four-day state visit to Washington, where both leaders issued a lengthy joint statement and a long list of objectives centered on economic security, defense, and strategic partnership.
Shifting supply chains to India from China is expected to be a major topic of discussion during the meeting.
The Biden administration has been encouraging U.S. firms to invest in India in key technology areas, according to Richard M. Rossow, a senior adviser and the chair of the U.S.–India policy studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
India or Bharat?
India is hosting the G20 Leaders’ Summit, at a time when Mr. Modi’s government is pushing to change the country’s name from India to Bharat.In the dinner invitations sent to guests attending the G20 summit, Indian President Droupadi Murmu was referred to as “President of Bharat” rather than “President of India.” This has led to speculation that Modi’s nationalist party is attempting to eradicate what it considers to be colonial-era names. Nationalists in the country argue that the name India was introduced by British colonialists and is therefore a “symbol of slavery.”
Ahead of the summit, some human rights groups have raised concerns about the Modi government’s embrace of a far-right Hindu nationalism and poor human rights record, which they claim has created a hostile environment for minorities, especially Muslims, in the country.
Ukraine Divides G20
At the conclusion of last year’s summit, the G20 leaders agreed to a joint communiqué in which they “strongly condemned” the war in Ukraine.“Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy,” the declaration stated.
The declaration, however, also indicated that there were “other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions.”
It’s still unclear how this year’s communiqué will address the conflict in Ukraine. While some countries demand strong language on the Ukraine conflict, India, the current G20 president, is attempting to strike a balance in the summit declaration.
The Ukraine issue will be a big challenge for India, according to Stephanie Segal, a senior fellow at the CSIS.
“India, much like its predecessor, Indonesia, in the G20 presidency, has a real challenge here in trying to forge consensus around issues in a group that is, in fact, quite fragmented, and fragmented in large part because of Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine,” she said during the CSIS press briefing.
She believes that framing the summit as one focused on global economic challenges will enable leaders to achieve some progress and consensus.
Putin, Xi Skip Summit
Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t attend the 2022 summit in Bali, Indonesia, and will also skip this year’s meeting in New Delhi.Chinese leader Xi Jinping also announced that he wouldn’t attend the summit, leading to speculation about his absence.
President Biden expressed disappointment after learning that the Chinese leader wouldn’t be attending. They last met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali on Nov. 14, 2022.
Having a major leader not attend the summit is “a pretty big deal,” according to Dennis Wilder, a senior fellow for the Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues at Georgetown University.
Mr. Wilder told NTD TV that there could be several reasons for China’s decision. But the main one is that Xi wasn’t prepared to see Biden on the sidelines, and denying his request would have been awkward, Mr. Wilder said.
“I think they’re looking to a meeting with Biden at the APEC summit in San Francisco” in November, he predicted.
Another reason for his absence could be the tense relationship between China and India.
“The Indians, in the run-up to the G20, held one of the preparatory meetings in Arunachal Pradesh, which angered the Chinese because that is disputed territory. And there have been recent disputes over a new map the Chinese have put out,” Mr. Wilder added.
Next Stop: Vietnam
After the conclusion of the G20 summit in Delhi, President Biden is scheduled to travel to Vietnam on Sept. 10. The president will meet with Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and other top Vietnamese leaders in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi.President Biden and Mr. Trong have some personal relationships, according to Gregory Poling, senior fellow and director of the Southeast Asia program and the Asia maritime transparency initiative at the CSIS.
The two leaders spoke on the phone months ago and reportedly agreed to elevate the partnership, which is more significant for the Vietnamese than for the Americans, Mr. Poling said during the CSIS press briefing.
He explained that Vietnam has a very clear hierarchy of diplomatic relations.
The United States has been at the bottom of this hierarchy, but with Biden’s visit, it might be moved all the way up to the top partnership, which is a “comprehensive strategic partner,” according to Mr. Poling.
There are currently four countries that Vietnam considers to be the most crucial for its international relations: China, Russia, India, and South Korea.
“And that is, I think, a pretty big deal, considering that this is a communist state that will never be a U.S. ally, on the border with China, sending a pretty loud political message that they are worried enough about Beijing that they’re willing to elevate the U.S. relationship formally to the highest level,” Mr. Poling said.
“And all of that is driven by anxieties about China.”
