New Delhi
CNN
—
President Joe Biden Arrived in India on Friday for two days Summit At a time of division among the world’s leading economies.
Biden didn’t intend to write about the fractures during his time in New Delhi. But in the opposite direction ChinaHe hopes to convince a divided world that America remains a steadfast and valuable partner.
He comes as polling in the US shows strong headwinds for his re-election bid; A CNN survey Two-thirds of Democratic-leaning voters released on the day he left showed they did not want Biden as the 2024 nominee.
Biden’s advisers hope his actions on the global stage will help provide a contrast with Republicans, and his campaign released a television ad on Thursday after his visit to Ukraine earlier this year.
But Biden’s shaky political stance has left fellow leaders, particularly in Europe, wondering what the next year will hold and whether Biden’s pledges of a stronger American role in the world will stand.
In New Delhi, Biden hopes to make the case that the United States can serve as a better partner to developing countries than China. He has an unexpected opening to make his case: Chinese President Xi Jinping is skipping this weekend’s summit, the first time he’s missed the G20 since taking office in 2012.
While in some ways this is a lost opportunity — Biden and Xi met for several hours at last year’s G20 in Bali — it frees up the stage for the U.S. to make its case for the U.S. partnership.
At a time when the extremely weak state of China’s economy raises deep concerns about global ripple effects, Biden hopes to use the relative strength of the U.S. market to make his pitch.
He does not come empty-handed. Armed with proposals to reform and increase investment in the World Bank, he is using US funds to free up hundreds of billions of dollars in new grants and loans to developing countries.
The White House insists the measures are not aimed at countering Beijing.
“It’s not just a question of responding to China, it’s a question of addressing long-term global challenges, reducing poverty,” US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said at a morning briefing in New Delhi.
However, the White House has argued that institutions such as the World Bank can provide an alternative to what it says are China’s coercive lending practices.
Ahead of Biden’s visit, officials were working urgently to draft joint declarations that could be signed at the end of the summit. But according to diplomats, the negotiations were difficult and reflected wide divisions within the G20 on the most contentious global issues.
“So, I understand that it’s challenging to craft language like this, but I know the negotiators are discussing it and working hard, and we’re ready to work with India to craft a statement that successfully addresses this concern,” Yellen told reporters.
While Biden has succeeded in rallying support for Ukraine in the West, he has not necessarily persuaded leaders from the so-called Global South, which includes India, Brazil and South Africa.
The failure to agree on a shared language could prove a major disappointment for the host of this year’s summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has worked here to focus discussions on developing countries but boost his status as a global politician.
Modi’s face is plastered around New Delhi to welcome delegates to the G20 and herald the theme of “One Earth, One Family, One Future”.
Biden’s first order of business upon arrival will be a one-on-one meeting with Modi at his residence. Biden has sought to fully embrace India as one of America’s most important partnerships in the 21st century and a key regional ally against China.
The White House remains deeply concerned about Modi’s record on human rights and what many see as a democratic backsliding in India. Restrictions on press.
While Biden was flying to New Delhi, officials on Air Force One said India had rejected US requests for any press access to the meeting between the two leaders.
