© Reuters. U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 leaders summit in Bali, Indonesia, November 14, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) – Leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) nations began talks on Tuesday with a call from host Indonesia for unity and concrete action to weld tied the global economy despite deep rifts over the war in Ukraine.
BIDEN AND CHEMICAL
* US President Joe Biden said he and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping had candid talks ahead of the G20 summit on a range of issues including Taiwan and North Korea. This is their first face-to-face meeting since Biden became president.
* In a statement after the meeting, Xi called Taiwan the “first red line” that must not be crossed in US-China relations, Chinese state media said. Biden said US policy towards Taiwan has not changed.
* Biden said he told Xi that Beijing had an obligation to try to convince North Korea to stop testing its nuclear weapons.
* Biden said the two sides have established a more frequent communication mechanism and that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to China to monitor the discussions. “I think we understand each other,” Biden said.
* The two leaders agreed to allow senior officials to resume communication on climate, debt relief and other issues, the White House said after the call, while pushing for delayed negotiations. than planned at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt.
RUSSIA AND UKRAINA
* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy delivered a “passionate but detailed” speech via video link at the G20 summit, the European Union’s ambassador to Indonesia said.
* The United States expects the G20 to condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine and its impact on the global economy at the conclusion of the leaders’ meeting in Bali, a senior US official said.
* Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied a news agency report that he had been hospitalized with a heart condition after traveling to Bali for a summit, while criticizing Western journalists for what he said was a… misinformation.
POSITION AND PLAN OF LEADERS
* British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak extended his support for Ukraine at the G20 and confirmed a long-planned order for warships from BAE Systems (OTC:).
* Europe will cooperate with China but needs to “rebalance” the relationship to avoid becoming too dependent on the country in areas such as innovative technology, European Council President Charles Michel said.
* Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol are all scheduled to have bilateral meetings with Mr. Xi on Tuesday.
* Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman left Saudi Arabia on Monday for a summit and will visit other Asian countries, state media said, but did not specify which.
* Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen canceled meetings he was scheduled to hold at the summit after testing positive for COVID-19, according to a statement on his Facebook page (NASDAQ:).
COVID
* Indonesia, which holds the G20 presidency, has strict processes in place for negotiations. The Nusa Dua district hosting the summit has been on lockdown since November 11 and will remain so until November 17.
