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Africa in the Background as Geopolitics Dominate the G20 

by Cobus van Staden
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa was welcomed by performers when he arrived at the Ngurah Rai International Airport ahead of the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia on November 14, 2022. Firdia Lisnawati / POOL / AFP

The G20 summit in Bali is firmly focused on great power politics, with few Global South issues getting any oxygen so far. 

The meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping unsurprisingly dominated the coverage. The meeting seemed aimed at resetting the fractious relationship around core issues like Taiwan and North Korea. The most concrete outcome was an announcement that the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit China. The two leaders also said they will restart talks on debt relief, climate cooperation and other issues. Climate talks were suspended after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan earlier this year. 

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