G20 summit primarily devoted to economy, not Ukraine
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning stressed that China’s position on the Ukrainian issue was consistent and very clear
The Group of Twenty (G20) summit is primarily designed to discuss the global economy, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a briefing on Friday, responding to a journalist’s question whether China would agree to condemn the military actions in Ukraine in the final document at the upcoming summit.
“Above all, the G20 summit is a major forum for international economic cooperation. We have always believed that the G20 should focus on its responsibilities, strengthen macroeconomic policy coordination and promote the development of the world economy,” Mao Ning said.
She also added that “China’s position on the Ukrainian issue is consistent and very clear.”
A paragraph in the final declaration concerning the condemnation of military action in Ukraine caused fierce disputes among the participants of the G20 summit in Bali last November.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said at the end of the summit that this issue had been the most discussed and difficult, but the document was still agreed upon. There have never been any cases in the history of G20 summits when the final declaration was not adopted. Experts interviewed by Reuters believe that such a precedent would be a serious damage to the forum’s prestige.
India is chairing the G20 from December 1, 2022.
The summit in New Delhi will be held on September 9-10 in person. The leaders of all G20 countries and nine other states (Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Nigeria, Netherlands, Spain, the UAE, Oman and Singapore) have been invited to the summit. The Russian delegation will be headed by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, while the Chinese delegation will be headed by Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China.
