China: China has praised a joint declaration by G20 leaders in Delhi, noting that it has sent a “positive signal” to the world. The world’s biggest economies formally adopted the joint declaration at the G20 summit in India without a single dissenting note. This is the first time that Beijing has commented on the declaration.
Russia, too, has hailed the declaration as a “milestone. But Ukraine, which was not represented at the summit, has expressed its disappointment, saying the declaration was “nothing to be proud of. The Delhi declaration did not directly criticise Russia but instead made comments about “the human suffering and negative added impacts of the war in Ukraine with regard to global food and energy security.”
China’s delegation at the summit was led by Premier Mr. Li Qiang after President Mr. Xi Jinping skipped the meeting. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Ms. Mao Ning, remarked that China had always supported the G20 and believed that its members should “stand in solidarity and cooperate on global issues.”
“The summit adopted a leaders’ declaration, which reflects China’s proposition and states that the G20 would act in concrete ways through partnerships, sending a positive signal of the G20 working together to tackle global challenges and promote world economic recovery and global development,” Ms. Ning commented. The Chinese spokesperson added that China had played a constructive role and “supported the summit in attaching importance to the concerns of developing countries to reach fruitful outcomes.”
During the press conference, Ms. Ning was asked whether China supported “the lack of direct criticism” in the declaration and whether it thought that the softer language would help in ending the conflict in Ukraine. Ms. Ning responded that China’s position on the Ukraine issue was “consistent and clear” and that the declaration “reflected the common understanding of all members.”