G20 news – live: Cambodia PM tests positive for Covid days after hosting world leaders
Cambodian leader said he had tested positive last night and that the test had been confirmed this morning
Your support helps us to tell the story
My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.
Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond
Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen tested positive for Covid-19 at the summit, days after hosting world leaders, including Joe Biden, in capital Phnom Penh.
On his Facebook page, the Cambodian leader said he had tested positive last night and that the test had been confirmed this morning.
Meanwhile, G20 is going to issue a statement at the end of the summit condemning Russia’s war in Ukraine, a senior US official said.
“I think you’re going to see most members of the G20 make clear that they condemn Russia’s war in Ukraine, that they see Russia’s war in Ukraine as the root source of immense economic and humanitarian suffering in the world,” the official was quoted as saying by AFP.
Indonesia’s president Joko Widodo said today that the world must not fall into another Cold War and that “it would be difficult for the world to move forward” unless the war ends.
Also, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky told the G20 that “now is the time when Russia’s war must and can be stopped” during his virtual address to world leaders.
“We will not allow Russia to wait out and build up its forces.”
Good morning. With action at the G20 summit coming to a close for the day, we will be pausing our live updates from Bali for now. Thank you.
Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.
Taiwan and Ukraine to dominate Xi-Biden talks
Joe Biden and Xi Jinping will meet in Bali on the sidelines of the G20 summit on Monday, in a highly anticipated first face-to-face meeting since the Democrat entered the White House as president.
The talks come at a tense time for US-China relations, with ongoing acrimonies and differences of opinion over Ukraine and Taiwan in particular.
The US president is unwilling to make any “fundamental concessions” and will want to raise the issue of Taiwan to lay out America’s “red lines”, Mr Biden said.
Shweta Sharma reports.
Biden and Xi to meet on G20 sidelines with Taiwan and Ukraine set to dominate talks
Taiwan, Ukraine, human rights and North Korea expected to be discussed by US and Chinese presidents
Australian PM Anthony Albanese to meet China’s Xi
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese will hold a meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of G20 summit in Bali on Tuesday.
“Australia will put forward our own position. I look forward to having a constructive discussion with President Xi tomorrow,” Mr Albanese said.
Australia last year signed a trilateral defence pact with the US and Britain called “Aukus” to deter China’s growing aggression, ranging from the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean.
Biden aims to ‘reset’ US-China ties
Joe Biden will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in person today for the first time since becoming president, and is looking to “reset” relations between the two nations.
“We have very little misunderstanding,” Mr Biden told reporters in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where he participated in a gathering of southeast Asian nations before leaving for Indonesia.
“We just got to figure out where the red lines are and ... what are the most important things to each of us going into the next two years.”
Mr Biden added: “His circumstance has changed, to state the obvious, at home.” The president said of his own situation: “I know I’m coming in stronger.”
Modi to meet Sunak at G20
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with his British counterpart Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
Indonesia will formally hand over the bloc’s presidency to India, which New Delhi will assume in December.
“During the Bali Summit, I will have extensive discussions with other G20 Leaders on key issues of global concern, such as reviving global growth, food & energy security, environment, health, and digital transformation,” Mr Modi said in his departure statement.
“On the sidelines of the G20 Summit, I will meet with Leaders of several other participating countries, and review the progress in India’s bilateral relations with them.”
Xi Jinping arrives in Bali
Chinese president Xi Jinping arrived on the Indonesian island of Bali to attend the G20 summit.
He will hold a closed-door meeting with US president Joe Biden later in the day.
Vladimir Putin to skip G20 summit in Bali
Vladimir Putin will not attend a gathering of G20 leaders in Bali, Indonesia this week as he avoids facing western leaders critical of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Instead, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will lead the Russian delegation at the two-day summit of the world’s largest economies.
Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the chief of support for G20 events, told reporters in Denpasar, Indonesia that Mr Putin confirmed his absence from the summit to Indonesian president Joko Widodo and confirmed that Mr Lavrov will be present on his behalf.
Rishi Sunak calls Russia a ‘rogue state’ as he prepares for tense G20
Rishi Sunak has called Russia a “rogue state” as he heads into a tense G20 meeting in Bali during which Vladimir Putin’s seat will “remain vacant”.
The prime minister will arrive in Bali today for the gathering of the leaders of the world’s biggest economies, in one of his first outings on the global stage since taking office last month.
Writing in The Telegraph, the prime minister said: “The man who is responsible for so much bloodshed in Ukraine and economic strife around the world will not be there to face his peers.”
He added: “We will not let our economic future be held hostage by the actions of a rogue state – and nor will our allies.”
Sunak to call for G20 action to end Russian ‘stranglehold’ on energy
PM’s five-point plan for ‘coordinated global action’ to reverse economic slump
Biden unveils investments in Indonesia
Joe Biden today announced a number of investments in Indonesia spanning areas like climate and food security, including a $2.5bn agreement between ExxonMobil and state-owned energy company Pertamina on carbon capture.
ExxonMobil and Pertamina’s agreement will further assess development of a regional carbon capture and sequestration hub in Indonesia, the White House said in a statement.
The partnership “will enable key industry sectors to decarbonise” the statement said, citing the refining, chemicals, cement, and steel sectors.
It said this would lower carbon emissions, ensure economic opportunities for Indonesian workers and help Indonesia achieve its net-zero ambitions in 2060 or sooner.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments