China’s responses to the recently-concluded G20 Summit in New Delhi merits scrutiny given the tensions in bilateral relations, but also because it is a major regional and global player that has the ability to influence matters even in absentia. And it was the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping from the summit that seemed to garner the most headlines in India and around the world before the summit itself.
This article looks at Chinese responses under three aspects — India as the host of the summit, self-identification as a leader of the Global South, and desire to shape and lead the world independent of the G20 and other multilateral groupings. It also examines the driving forces of China’s external disposition and its worldviews.
