President Joe Biden is headed to one of the most momentous Group of 20 summits in years, poised for a landmark meeting with his Chinese counterpart and buoyed by a better-than-expected performance in U.S. midterm elections.
In Bali, Biden will try to seize on the momentum to galvanize global efforts to stabilize the economy, firm up pressure on Russia and reduce tensions with China, with the aim of boosting his authority on the world stage.
But the summit will test whether Biden’s domestic standing translates into global influence, as the president will be forced to confront questions about the G-20 itself —an increasingly fractious gathering of world leaders who often have competing interests. Biden will be measured on how he addresses the challenge from rivals eager to thwart his agenda.
