At the G20 Summit, neither Premier Li Qiang nor the Chinese delegation has offered any comments or statements regarding the consensus document, despite the adoption of the declaration by G20 member states. The document, known as the New Delhi G20 Summit Leaders Declaration, was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who hailed the achievement of consensus among member states.
During the G20 Summit, neither Premier Li Qiang, who led China’s delegation, nor his team provided any comments on the consensus document adopted by the G20 leaders. This silence from China raises questions about how Beijing eventually accepted the consensus document, given its initial reservations regarding the mention of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the related language.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that G20 member states had reached a consensus on the New Delhi G20 Summit Leaders Declaration, emphasizing the collaborative efforts and hard work of the teams involved.
The consensus declaration, which called for a “comprehensive, just, and durable peace in Ukraine,” urged member states to refrain from using force to seek territorial acquisition or undermine the territorial integrity of any state.
China’s G20 delegation, led by Premier Li Qiang instead of President Xi Jinping, refrained from making any comments or interacting with foreign media until late on Saturday, leaving observers curious about their stance on the declaration.
Despite earlier reports suggesting that Beijing had been a primary obstacle to achieving a consensus document, the details of how the differences were resolved remain unclear.
In a comment piece published by Xinhua, China’s official news agency, on Saturday evening, there was an indirect reference to the document while criticizing the United States. The piece highlighted China’s desire for unity and agreement rather than confrontation and differences during the summit.
The Xinhua article also mentioned that amid challenges related to protectionism, G20 members were expected to promote global economic growth at the summit. It noted that the theme of the Indian G20 Summit, “One Earth, One Family, One Future,” echoed the Sanskrit phrase “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” which China had reportedly opposed in official G20 documents as the UN does not recognize Sanskrit.
The phrase “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” means “the world is one family” and underscores the expectation that countries will support each other in pursuing growth, as mentioned in the comment piece.
