Trouble in paradise as leaders convenes for G20 in Bali

• The G20, or Group of 20, is meeting this week on the Indonesian island of Bali.
• The annual summit was established in the wake of the Asian financial crisis in 1999.
• Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo aspires to serve as the main dealmaker amid all of this.

When you think about Bali, images of a tropical paradise with palm trees and pineapples, sunshine, sand, and peace spring to mind.

The G20, or Group of 20, is meeting this week on the Indonesian island, and it may very well be the most contentious gathering ever.

The annual summit was established in the wake of the Asian financial crisis in 1999 and now brings together 19 advanced and emerging economies as well as the EU. Additionally, it sees itself as a sort of superheroes club that handles upcoming catastrophes.

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine, simmering US-China tensions, skyrocketing inflation, the looming possibility of a worldwide recession, North Korea’s nuclear threats, and maybe most concerning of all, a fast warming earth, are all topics of discussion at the moment.

Joko Widodo, the host and president of Indonesia, aspires to serve as the main dealmaker amid all of this. Can he accomplish it?

When we chatted before the G20 summit, Mr. Widodo appeared upbeat about the event, which has been called the most diplomatically complex and difficult G20 ever.

On Monday, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet, and Mr. Widodo is concerned about the potential collision of the world’s two largest economies.

“If President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden can meet and talk, it would be very good for the world, especially if they are able to come to an agreement about how to help the world recover.”

Indonesia has benefited from decades of free trade and multilateralism, just like many Asian nations. Although China has regularly rated as one of Indonesia’s top two foreign investors over the past ten years, the US has always been its most significant international strategic partner.

To put it mildly, this has made handling the relationship between the two giants challenging.

Increasing tensions between Washington and Beijing, according to some, raise the possibility of confrontation in the Indo-Pacific region.

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On the Korean peninsula, where Pyongyang has launched a record number of missiles this year, there are worries about the potential use of nuclear weapons, either in Ukraine or there.

“The use of nuclear weapons for any reason, cannot be tolerated,” Mr. Widodo, also known as Jokowi, says. “The increasing potential for nuclear use is… very dangerous for peace and for world stability.”

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