Xi supports the African Union to join the G20.

Published:November 21,2022

By Staff writer

During the 17th Group of 20 (G20) Summit that took place in the resort island of Bali in Indonesia, Chinese president Xi Jinping supported the African Union to be admitted into the G20 group. The G20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising of 19 countries and the European Union. It works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation, and sustainable development. Although Africa is a continent with over 1.4 billion people, it is excluded in this significant forum. 

The support by Xi for the African Union to join G20shows that China cares for developing countries and remained committed to the vision that “development is real only when all countries develop together.” Xi’s support has been welcomed by African countries.

At the G20 summit, Xi called on all countries to embrace the vision of building a human community with a shared future, and to advocate peace, development and win-win cooperation. Unlike capitalistic western countries that thrive on exploitation of poor countries, Xi noted that, “modernization is not a privilege reserved for any single country, and frontrunners in development should help others develop.” This makes the development model of China unique with a global significance. 

The Chinese president also advocated for building aglobal partnership for economic recovery and the International Cooperation Initiative on Global Food Security. Today, many African countries including Kenya and Ethiopia are facing food shortage due to long droughts and cooperation in food security would save lives of millions of people facing starvation. 

It should also be recalled that President Xi Jinping asked the Group of G20 members to help developing countries and disadvantaged groups to adapt to digital transformation in an effort to narrow the digital divide between the developed and developing countries. “China will continue to work with the Group of 20 members to foster a balanced, coordinated and inclusive global digital economic paradigm that brings benefits to all. This is a clear demonstration of China’s policy of promoting global development and leading global governance.