Post-G20 Summit 2023, A Look at How International Media Reported on the Meet

Most news reports pointed out what the joint G20 communiqué said (and didn't say).

The G20 Summit 2023 finally drew to a close at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi's Pragati Maidan on Sunday, 10 September.

For days leading up to the G20 weekend, news organisations were abuzz over India playing host to world leaders such as US President Joe Biden, UK PM Rishi Sunak, EU's Ursula von der Leyen, and several other foreign dignitaries attending the two-day multilateral event in the national capital.

While reading between the lines of the G20 New Delhi joint declaration, many overseas news publications acknowledged that its adoption at the international forum was no mean feat.

As New Delhi returns to business as usual, here's what international media coverage of the G20 Summit 2023 looked like:

'G20 Declaration Omits Condemnation of Russia, a Rollback From Last Year' – The New York Times

Reporting from New Delhi for The New York Times, Katie Rogers pieces together what was said in the New Delhi G20 Summit Leaders Declaration and more importantly, what it didn't say. Scrutinising US President Biden's conduct during the Summit, she notes that "Mr Biden stayed in the background for most of his time in India, content to let Mr Modi take the lead."

"Mr Biden notably stayed away from the democracy-versus-autocracy themes that shape much of his messaging overseas and at home. (At one point, Mr Biden did pose for a photo with the leaders of several other democracies, including India, Brazil, and South Africa.) And his advisers stressed that the G20 was not competing with forums like the group of nations known as BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa."

Katie Rogers, for The New York Times

'G-20 Leaders Unveil Ambitious Trade Corridor Connecting India and Europe' – The Washington Post

On the 37-page joint declaration adopted by the G20 Summit in New Delhi, The Washington Post's Matt Viser and Karishma Mehrotra report that the language of the document was dry and not as pointed as last year's conference in Bali. Interestingly, it also mentions how American officials reportedly tried to have Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky address the group – but in vain.

"The negotiations over a joint communiqué had been difficult, especially around language regarding the Ukraine war. While it did note the harm of the war and the importance of territorial sovereignty, it did not name Russia as the perpetrator and was less direct in some of the language than was agreed to last year during the G-20 in Bali."

Matt Viser and Karishma Mehrotra, for The Washington Post

'West Goes Easy on Russia To Save the G20' – POLITICO

In line with other publications, POLITICO also focuses on the G20 Summit declaration not calling out the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, it also quotes unnamed diplomats who were optimistic about the G20 (as well as India's presidency) despite reported threats to its power and legitimacy.

"More non-Western voices are also coming to the table. The African Union is being admitted as a G20 member, India’s presidency confirmed this weekend. Brazil, which symbolically took over the G20 mantel from India at a ceremony here, has indicated it wants more of a role for Latin America. As the geo-political power dynamics shift with a newly confident group of non-Western developing countries showing their clout, the G20 summit in India showed that the U.S. and the EU are prepared to throw their lot in with the rest of the world as they opt for collective action."

Suzanne Lynch and Alex Ward, for POLITICO

'India’s G-20 Win Shows US Learning How To Counter China Rise' – Bloomberg

Writing for Bloomberg, Alan Crawford and Sylvia Westall offer a contrarian view of the G20 Summit 2023 joint communiqué. They point out that despite the declaration irking Ukraine, it was effective in the US' strategy to isolate Russia and China by giving India a win.

"For the US, any move that bolsters India and amplifies other democracies in the Global South helps to counter China and Russia’s influence, particularly when it comes to bringing about the G-20’s call for a “comprehensive, just and durable peace” in Ukraine."

Alan Crawford and Sylvia Westall, for Bloomberg

'Does an ‘Uninspiring’ G20 Have a Future?' – Al Jazeera

"It was never going to be a smooth ride at this year’s Group of 20 summit in India," reads the first line of Al Jazeera correspondent James Bays' analysis of the G20 Summit 2023 that was hosted by India in New Delhi.

In a departure from other news reports, Bays takes a dim view of the proceedings that unfolded at the international forum and terms the New Delhi declaration as "the most bland statement possible on Ukraine."

"Many Western countries, concerned about China’s rising power, want New Delhi — a strategic counterweight to Beijing — to be able to claim this summit was a great success. International aid agency Oxfam called the summit “uninspiring and underwhelming” with no action being taken to tackle poverty, inequality and climate change."

James Bays, for Al Jazeera

'G20 Summit: Chinese Premier Li Qiang Urges Group To Be Inclusive, Not Confrontational' – South China Morning Post

Josephine Ma writes for the South China Morning Post, highlighting remarks made by Chinese Premier Li Qiang in the absence of President Xi Jinping at the G20 Summit 2023.

"As well as the ongoing tensions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – Vladimir Putin was another notable absentee – the New Delhi summit is seen by observers as an important platform for Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to expand the country’s clout on the global stage. It also offers US President Joe Biden an opportunity to deepen ties with his hosts and reach out to developing countries."

Josephine Ma, for South China Morning Post

'G20 Triumph: How India Scored a Global Diplomatic Win' – Gulf News

In her piece for Gulf News, Indian journalist Nidhi Razdan outlines the key takeaways from the G20 Summit in New Delhi and explains why the Delhi Declaration is a big win for India in terms of multilateral diplomacy.

"The summit also coincides with the countdown to India’s next general election in the spring-summer of 2024. The Prime Minister has used the G20 presidency to launch his election campaign, turning a rotational presidency into a major achievement for the country, very much in keeping with the messaging that India has found its place of pride in the world. How that plays out on the political scene will be determined when people go out to cast their vote but for now, New Delhi has many reasons to be pleased with the foreign policy objectives it set out with this G20 summit."

Nidhi Razdan, for Gulf News

'G20 Declaration on Ukraine – Hype or Reality?' – DAWN

Dawn correspondent Jawed Naqvi states in his report that the G20 Summit 2023 is being held against the backdrop of both Biden and Modi facing troubles at home. With little good to say about the joint declaration, he points out that the "creeping fascism in India was palpably resounding," and refers to Indian author Arundhati Roy's remarks on the same.

"If the joint declaration in Delhi brings triggers prospects for peace in Europe, part of the credit would be claimed by Mr Modi justifiably. But he may have bigger fish to fry when the special session of parliament he has called opens later this month. And though he has prescribed peace for Ukraine amid global applause, Mr Modi has not indicated any urgency to end the trauma of the people stalking large swathes of India, including Manipur and Kashmir."

Jawed Naqvi, for Dawn