After calling for an end to the fighting on Friday, China is once again showing its flexibility vis-à-vis Russian power. The finance ministers and central bankers of the G20 ended their meetings in India on Saturday without reaching a joint statement condemning the war in Ukraine, due to differences with Beijing in particular. Meeting since Friday in Bangalore, the technological capital of India, the G20 Finance was trying to agree on solutions to the challenges posed by the global economy, in a context of war in Ukraine and rising inflation.
India, which holds the presidency of the G20, published this Saturday at the end of the meetings a “summary” of the discussions, but no joint press release. “Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine” with “different assessments of the situation and sanctions,” the document said.
Only China and Russia did not approve two paragraphs about Ukraine. Beijing wanted to tone down the language used about Ukraine in the joint statement, according to several officials familiar with the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity. According to one of them, “China does not want to condemn the war” in Ukraine.
Support for Moscow in the face of Western sanctions
Talks to agree on a term lasted until 2 a.m. Saturday (2030 GMT Friday), another official said. In vain. China has never publicly endorsed or criticized the offensive, but has repeatedly expressed support for Moscow in the face of Western sanctions.
Germany and France had however argued on Friday for the inclusion of the term “war” in the final communiqué of the G20 Finance. In Ukraine, “it’s a war. And this war has one cause, one cause, and that is Russia and Vladimir Putin,” German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said. The French Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire had supported the words of his German counterpart. “We will oppose any backsliding in the joint statement, compared to the declaration made in Bali on the subject of the war in Ukraine”, he had warned, during a press conference in English.
Russian diplomacy regretted this Saturday that the West sought to “destabilize” the summit. “We regret that the activities of the G20 continue to be destabilized by the collective West and used in an anti-Russian and purely confrontational manner,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
According to Moscow, the United States, the EU and the G7 have “disrupted the adoption of collective decisions” by trying to impose a “diktat” via “clear blackmail” so that their interpretation of the conflict in Ukraine appears in the joint statement. The ministry accused Washington and its allies of issuing “ultimatums” to “many delegations”.
“We urge the collective West to renounce its destructive policy as soon as possible, to realize the objective realities of a multipolar world,” Russian diplomacy continued.
Hope for Chinese mediation
The blocking of China comes to temper the hopes of a mediation of Beijing in favor of Ukraine which were born Friday after the publication by the Chinese diplomacy of a document in 12 points reaffirming its position. This text, which calls on the two parties to start peace talks, was welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, because China calls in particular for respecting the territorial integrity of States.
“The fact that China is committing to efforts is quite good,” Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday, adding that he intended to visit China in early April.
Other Western leaders were more skeptical: Joe Biden openly rejected the idea that China could play a mediating role, believing that it was “not rational” and the UN Secretary General has for his on the other hand judged that the Beijing document was “not a peace plan” but simply a text in which China “reaffirms” the neutral position it has held since the beginning of the conflict: calling for peace without condemning Russia.
For its part, India, which chairs the G20 and has long-standing ties with Russia, also did not condemn Moscow’s military intervention.
Last year, during previous meetings of the G20 Finances, under the Indonesian presidency, no joint press release had been drafted either. The G20 is made up of EU countries, the United States, China and Russia, but also emerging powers from the southern hemisphere such as Brazil, India and South Africa, countries that maintain strong economic and diplomatic relations with Moscow and who never officially condemned Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was necessary to get closer to African and South American countries to counter Moscow’s influence in these regions.