These three big leaders did not come to G20

For the first time in 20 years, the G20 summit is being held in South Africa. On this historic occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also reached Johannesburg, PM Modi will participate in all three sessions of the summit and will express his views on important issues like inclusive development, climate crisis and Artificial Intelligence.

Before the visit, PM Modi said that this summit is also special for India because during its presidency in 2023, India had made the African Union a member of the G20. But three big leaders of the world – American President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are missing in this summit. The question is arising that why the three most powerful leaders of the world are not attending this summit?

1. Trump created distance by raising the issue of atrocities on white farmers

America is a founding member of G20 and it also holds the next presidency, hence its absence became even more discussed. US President Donald Trump had earlier clearly said that he would not attend the G20 summit. His allegation was that white farmers were being tortured in South Africa. While posting on social media, Trump had claimed that after the new land reform law, white farmers are being subjected to racial oppression in South Africa. However, a day before the summit, Trump’s stance changed. America has sent its acting Ambassador Mark D. Dillard to participate in the last session of the summit.

2. Putin did not come because there was a threat of arrest

Russian President Vladimir Putin also did not come to South Africa. The reason for this is very clear, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against Putin regarding the Ukraine war. South Africa is a member of the Rome Statute, which means it is legally mandatory for it to comply with ICC warrants. This means that if Putin had come to G20, South Africa would have had to arrest him as per the law. This is the reason why he did not come to South Africa even for the 2023 BRICS Summit.

3. Xi Jinping’s health deteriorated, that’s why he did not come

Chinese President Xi Jinping will also stay away from the G20 summit this time. According to media reports, his health is not well, so instead of travelling, he has sent PM Li Qiang as a representative. There are very strong trade relations between China and South Africa. Xi Jinping also came to South Africa for the 2023 BRICS Summit, so this time his absence is even more in discussion.

The absence of all three increased the importance of India

Due to the absence of big leaders like Trump, Putin and Jinping, India’s role in this G20 summit has become even more important. The eyes of the world will be on how PM Modi expresses his views on global issues and how he elevates the voice of emerging countries.