Attending ‘Russia’ and ‘Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the U.S. and China’… G20 meeting with a growing presence

A fierce diplomatic battle is expected to take place over the Ukraine war and the global food and energy crisis at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to be held in Bali, Indonesia on the 7th. Attention is also drawn to the actions of President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, who took on the role of mediator between Ukraine and Russia and voices of developing countries. The presence of the G20 as a multilateral conference is expected to be highlighted.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will attend the upcoming G20 summit. It is the first time the foreign ministers of the United States, Japan, China and Russia have gathered together since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. At the G20 finance ministers meeting in April, when the Russian economy minister spoke over video, the G7 countries grouped out in protest. As this meeting is a place where emerging and developing countries and developed countries can discuss global economic issues in one place, and as a stage for preparing for the G20 summit that Russian President Vladimir Putin is going to attend, the G7 countries are taking a closer look at developing countries rather than leaving the group this time. It is expected that there will be a public opinion contest.

A meeting will also be held between US Foreign Secretary Tony Blincoln and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. It is the first meeting of foreign ministers between the United States and China in eight months. Various issues such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, human rights, issues in the East and South China Seas, and Taiwan are expected to be on the table. US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to speak on the phone soon, and the US is likely to announce plans this week to cut high tariffs on Chinese imports.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, the first foreign ministers’ meeting between South Korea, the US and Japan is also underway. Foreign Minister Park Jin, US Secretary of State Tony Blincoln, and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said they are expected to discuss a response to North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear missile development. If the meeting is held, the first three foreign ministers meeting including Minister Park will be held.

Indonesia’s role as the presidency appears to be more important than ever. The most important topic to be addressed at this summit is the global food and energy crisis triggered by the Ukraine war. As it is difficult to expect that the G7 and Russia and China will come up with a joint agreement, it is reported that the ministerial statement was not even promoted as a result document at this meeting. Instead, Indonesia, the chair country, plans to release the ‘chairman’s name’, a record that reflects the meeting’s contents. The G7 is said to be negotiating with Indonesia, taking the position that a text clarifying Russia’s responsibility should be included here as well.

Indonesia, which has a non-aligned/neutral policy as its foreign policy tradition, is the most active country in diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute between Ukraine and Russia. Indonesian President Joko Widodo recently visited Ukraine and Russia one after another. At a summit meeting with Russian President Putin on the 30th of last month, he drew attention to the remarks that he would not interfere with Ukraine’s grain exports. President Joko Widodo urged the G7 to exclude chemical fertilizers and food from sanctions against Russia in order to stabilize food prices, which are being hit hard by developing countries. However, it is also evaluated that the diplomatic balance was achieved by visiting Ukraine first before Russia. Both Ukrainian President Zelensky and Putin have been invited to the G20 summit to be held at the end of October.

Indonesia was also hit hard by the Ukrainian war. Indonesia is the second largest importer of Ukrainian wheat in the world. As the export of sunflower seed oil to Russia and Ukraine was halted due to the war, the price of palm oil in Indonesia skyrocketed. Indonesia’s consumer price index rose 4.4% last month. President Joko Widodo is promoting a strategy to foster large-scale manufacturing, focusing on new industries such as electric motorcycles and solar power. In order for Indonesia to emerge as a manufacturing powerhouse, it is important to overcome this inflation crisis.

“President Joko Widodo is concerned that his legacy will be ruined by inflation,” said Burhanuddin Mutadi, managing director of Indicator Politics Indonesia, an Indonesian polling agency, in an interview with Nikkei Asia. “Indonesia’s top diplomatic goal is to end the war between Russia and Ukraine and, as a realistically achievable second best, aims to restore the food and fertilizer supply chains of Russia and Ukraine,” said Andrew Mantong, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta. said.

Accordingly, Indonesia is expected to spur global mediation efforts to end the war until the next G20 summit. Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim country with a population of 400 million and has ties with countries in the Middle East. He has supported the Palestinians in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Toward the West, they are maintaining their investment by claiming that they have a huge population that can replace and supplement China. On the other hand, it is negative for the Ocus Agreement. Next year, it will become the ASEAN presidency. Unlike Cambodia, the current chair country, the Indonesian government is critical of Myanmar’s military administration.