Xi, Putin will attend G-20 summit in Bali: Jokowi

Russia's leader Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping are planning to attend the Group of 20 (G-20) summit in Bali in mid-November, as Indonesia hopes to encourage talks to resolve global supply chain problems.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo revealed the two leaders' planned trip in an interview with Bloomberg News on Thursday.

It was the first time that Indonesia, which holds the grouping's presidency this year, has confirmed that both leaders intend to attend the summit in person.

It was previously speculated that they would attend only virtually.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said he could not comment on the President's remarks, but stressed: "Indonesia is making preparations for the physical attendance of all G-20 leaders."

Indonesia has been under pressure from the United States and its Western allies to bar Russia from the G-20 summit over its invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Widodo's priority, however, has been to ensure the success of the summit, by getting world leaders to turn up.

He has extended an invitation to Mr Putin and Mr Xi, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, to attend the summit.

Russia and China are members of the G-20 while Ukraine is not.

The Chinese President has not been overseas since the onset of the pandemic.

Tensions between the US and China are at an all-time high, and Mr Xi's attendance would facilitate his first face-to-face meeting with US President Joe Biden.

A spokesman for the White House National Security Council said yesterday: "I don't have President Biden's travel to announce at this time. As you have seen, we have been participating in the G-20 this year."

The spokesman added that if Mr Putin "does attend the G-20, then Zelensky should participate".

Like many other countries, Indonesia is facing mounting pressures due to surging energy and food prices as a result of the war in Ukraine, and the G-20 meeting could be an avenue to resolve this problem, said Mr Bhima Yudhistira, director at the Centre of Economic and Law Studies in Jakarta.

"If Putin really comes down here and takes time to meet the Western counterparts, it will bring about very positive impacts on the global economy. Everyone will benefit," said Mr Bhima.

The Kremlin on Thursday said in a statement that President Putin had congratulated Mr Widodo over the phone on the 77th commemoration of Indonesia's Independence Day on Aug 17.

The leaders also discussed plans to implement agreements on bilateral trade and economic projects reached during Mr Widodo's visit to Russia in late June, as well as preparation for the G-20 summit.

The Kremlin did not say whether Mr Putin would attend the summit in person.

Meanwhile, at a media briefing yesterday, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin declined to disclose Mr Xi's travel plans but said: "We are ready to step up coordination and cooperation with Indonesia to ensure the full success of the summit."

Mr Biden and Mr Xi have left open the possibility of meeting on the sidelines of the Bali summit, Bloomberg reported.

China cut off talks with the US on defence and other areas after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan earlier this month, while the White House has criticised Beijing's subsequent military drills around the island.

"The rivalry of the big countries is indeed worrying," Mr Widodo said in his interview with Bloomberg.

"What we want is for this region to be stable, peaceful, so that we can build economic growth.

"And I think not only Indonesia, but Asian countries also want the same thing."

International relations lecturer Reza Widyarsa said Mr Widodo must ensure talks at the summit stay on economic issues and the global supply chain problem rather than on geopolitics, which would be counterproductive.

Mr Putin's presence at the summit would not affect Indonesia's relations with the West, he said, as this reflects Indonesia's long-held "independent and active" foreign policy.

 • Additional reporting by Linda Yulisman