G20 Summit: Substance or just an Echo Chamber?

Welcome to Geopolitical Trends. So excited to be with you. Uh, very interesting topic I'm going to be addressing today, a follow-up to my video that I released this morning. I'm sure you— I'm assuming you had a chance to, uh, uh, check it out, which has to do with the G20. But specifically as to why President Xi will not be attending. So this is what I'm going to be digging, uh, deeper into and provide you just my assessments. And again, this is my personal opinion what I'm going to be sharing with you. So like I always do, I like to extend my thanks to all of you. Uh, if please, if this is your first time here on this channel, make sure to subscribe. I would greatly appreciate it. But I also want to give a shout out to a new channel supporter by the name of Patrick Lim. Thank you very much, Pat— Patrick, Pat, you know, uh, for becoming a channel supporter. We are about 85 members right now. Like I promised you, once we reach 100, I'm gonna do an exclusive Q&A for just the members and share a surprise with you guys. So Just few reminders here quickly, uh, remember to join me at, uh, 1400 hours today for, uh, uh, it's a certainly a conversation you do not want to miss with— I'm gonna have with Dr. Hammond about the history of China, and we're gonna tie it to G20, the global stage, and so forth. And it's— if you don't know who Dr. Hammond, you might want to check him out, but I already posted the link to, his bio and so forth. So just, I look forward to that conversation with Dr. Hammond. So I also want to share with you, uh, the link to the new course that I'm going to be launching next week. Uh, uh, feel free to check it out. Uh, we're giving a discount of 20% for that one. So let me share the link with you guys so you can check it out if you are interested in learning about the government, basically what I'm going to be talking about, uh, not, not just the branches of a government, the, the three— legislative, executive, and judicial. I'm going to go deeper into beyond exactly what the government is doing, our government. Is it working or does it— so, uh, if you are interested in learning more about that, uh, just to let you know, I am also on Rumble and Locals. I think I will be doing a session on Locals this evening, So make sure to check it out if you are interested. So, all right, let's dig into our topic here. So what today's topic for those who just joining us here, let me share a picture with you guys so you'll see. Bonjour Alain, Alain Ray from Montreal. Bonjour à toi. Let me see if I have a picture to share with you here about the G20. No, I don't have— I have other pictures, but I'm going to get into that in due time. I don't want to jump quickly here. So, so basically what I'm going to be talking about, G20 Summit, which is going to start officially tomorrow, but that's not— I'm not going to talk about the details here. I'm going to elaborate further on what I talked about in the video this morning, uh, and, and, and also ask the question is, uh, what message is President Xi or President Xi's decision not to attend the G20 Summit is sending. So, and like I said ear— uh, in the video, you know who the message is intended to. Then I'm going to also share with you a surprise about, uh, which was nothing but a rumor. I had to check into that, and, uh, it was about a, a posting, uh, on a newspaper suggesting that Nigerian president would attend the, uh, G20 Summit without invitation, which was false to begin with. First of all, the president of Nigeria, Tinubu, was not invited. They were just as observers but not as, uh, officially attending to that. So, so I'm gonna tackle that one later on. So, so let's, uh, let's dig deeper into this. So Well, here is the thing. Of course Western media is gonna, uh, uh, uh, sort of make it very, uh, uh, engulf— that's the word I'm looking for— engulf the story of how much the powerful leaders of the world will descend into India, uh, uh, this weekend for them to tackle the whole— the host of crisis and so forth. Yeah, all this is good, okay? It's just for ego sake, okay? We go with it. But how can you say, you, the whomever is issuing this statement, the world's most powerful leaders, when at the same time you got one of the major economies in the world not even attending? Its president, remember, just FYI, Chinese delegation is headed to India. It's, it's going to be headed by Premier, uh, Li, uh, uh, Chong, I think. I, I'm— yeah, Li, Li Chong. So, but President Xi himself will not be attending. And that in itself, because remember, President Xi hasn't missed, uh, a summit, according— if, if my memory serves me well, since about 2011, '12, '13, somewhere around that. Never missed one. So, and this is the idea of now, what about this one here? What about this, uh, this summit? Of course there are those who are saying, well, the Chinese never gave an explanation. Well, they don't owe anybody an explanation, you know. I don't expect them to explain to me why President Xi is not going to be attending. They It's their decision. For me as an analyst, I'm going to look at it differently. Of course, I have to read between the lines of what I always, guys, tell you to see the big picture. To me, the writing is on the wall, is as clear as the daylight that China is setting, is setting the ground for the new global order. This is what it is. This is what it's all about. So, so that decision for President Xi not to attend it is sending a message, hey, that era where the G20 was dictating the terms under the US, of course, is no longer here. It's almost— I feel like we, we have a saying here in the US, for those who are not familiar with our, uh, uh, colloquial stuff, a new sheriff in town. Well, that new sheriff is on the global stage. Basically, it's the emergence of China as a major power. That's, that's, that's, that's what's at the heart of it. Now, of course, the question, uh, if, if it's going to be viewed from the lenses of the great power rivalry between the US and China, it makes perfect sense for presidency not to grant audience to President Biden, not the other way around. It used to be the reverse. Everybody wants to have a picture with the American president. Everybody wants to have— many leaders, that is— they'll show that on the global stage. Because, I mean, make no, no mistake, when a US president travels around the world, yeah, the world knows about it. You know, it's nothing that we can ignore. But this time around, the roles have been reversed. Now it's President Xi that is not granting the audience for the American president. And to me, as a geopolitical analyst, it tells me straightforward that the tables, or the chairs rather, at the geopolitical tables have been rearranged. You know, maybe a time that the US doesn't sit at the head of the table anymore. So, and this is why sort of an analyst were argue— not arguing, by basically suggesting that the global system of governance is changing. Well, they shouldn't be suggesting, you know, as an analyst, I won't say what I am suggesting. No. No, it's a fait accompli. It's right here. It's upon us, and we are witnessing it as we speak. So when analysts— you know, that depends again where the analysis is coming from. You, you guys, one thing that I want you to always be aware of is where the analysis is coming from. Don't just jump to— there, there, there are a lot of, lot of behind the scenes maneuvers that goes into final product once that products or that analysis is sort of, uh, finalized. And this is where I see personally that now with this opportunity of the G20 Summit that China said, I don't think so, I need to be there. This is President Xi. But remember, for the record, Chinese delegation is going. But for President Xi, and I am sure his advisers will advise him in this manner, that you're gonna have to— you, President Xi, you're gonna have to show through your action that the landscape, the global one that is, has shifted, is shifting, is changing. Whether the West likes it or not. And the way you show that, you don't get into a shouting mouth, uh, a shouting match rather. You don't get into military fighting. You don't— you do it in a subtle way, diplomatically. And this is the perfect, perfect way of how to approach major changes on the global stage by sending subtle message. This is very very subtle. In the world of diplomacy, this is how you do it. You don't need to shout, you don't need to threaten, you don't need— no, no, no, no, no. You do it subtly. And that's exactly what I believe, uh, uh, President Xi is sending that message to the Americans, to the world, that the American dominance or influence is coming to an end. Now there are those who say Well, the G20 in itself, you know, despite its, uh, remember, still have some solid numbers. I'm going to share a screen with you guys just to see. Uh, there are still some, uh, some hard data that we need— we can't ignore because, because it won't be right if, if, if, if, if I am not to provide both sides the arguments, which I always do, because I will never ever ever influence your thinking or push you to a certain conclusion. It's yours, it belongs to you. What I do is I provide you the facts, I provide you both sides of the arguments if there are both sides of the arguments, and I always try to approach everything I talk about objectively. You know, I know I'm getting already, already getting a push that I have something against India because I am addressing, and I'm gonna be addressing, certain issues that I'm not gonna shy away. I'm already hearing that I am being paid by China. Yeah, it's ridiculous. That is so ridiculous and so stupid. Stupidity, that's what it is. Anyway, let's look at G20, and this, by the way, just as of 2022. I think 2021 or 2022, it's recent. So which means the data still holds even though the numbers might be changing slightly. Still the world population 65, but remember BRICS represent 41%. There is not much difference. It's coming there. So world trade, world economy, and GDP and so forth. So, so you got the idea that G20 still holds to a degree, uh, some sort of, uh, presence on the global stage. But, but when you look at deep down, there is this disillusion with the G20. And because to me, the idea of how G20 used to be viewed as premier when it comes down to global forum— no more, no more. Because now you have others emerging I give you the likes of BRICS, I give you the likes of ASEAN, I give you the likes of SCO, I give you the likes of, uh, uh, what's the other one, RCEP, you know. Yes, they are not at the same level as G20, but they are catching up. Give it a decade and you're going to see a major change. And this is why everybody now, like I put in the title and like I always say, I don't do random. I have a reason for why I put certain titles. Is I put, uh, uh, uh, no substance or just echo chamber, because that's what it, to me, G20 has become. And the reason being is because, uh, uh, now remember, if we are to think about, uh, hypothetically, and this is just hypothetical, Pardon me, hypothetical to a degree, but there is some reality into it. If you have to think about why all of a sudden President Xi changed his mind, based on his advisor's, uh, uh, counsel, I'm assuming, uh, I don't know, I wasn't there. The, the assumption, at least for me thinking outside the box, would be like, well, Here is President Xi, who used to think about the G20 as a neutral, relatively neutral platform. And that was for what? For global trade, for global governance, for, for, for multicooperation. That's usually what it used to be. So, and this is why it was always important, at least in my opinion, And the way I see it, if President Xi has been attending G20 since 2011, 2012, all the way to this year, that tells me he's seeing a change. And that change is reflected through the emergence of China on the global stage, something the West, of course, headed by the US, is not gonna like. But also it tells me personally that President Xi used to think of G20 as the platform for diplomacy also. And to me, this is the idea. And by the way, the same concept has been always argued by, uh, and I think there is an institute in Washington, and I'm very familiar with it, called Quincy Institute. As a matter of fact, uh, there was, uh, uh, uh, its, uh, vice president, I believe, director, uh, Dr. Trita Parsi. Who I will invite him, by the way, on the show here one day. So, and I know Trita, I've been talking to Trita, I'm aware of Trita, we talk. He's an Iran specialist, by the way, his specialty is somebody who knows inside out. So there was someone who argued this particular point also by the name of Jake Warner. Warner was a research fellow at the Quincy Institute. So, so what it tells me that there are people who are thinking outside the box out there, even though the institute is in Washington. That doesn't mean you just have to go blindly and say what is not right. And this is where I see those changes with the G20 summit. It doesn't hold anymore its, its status it once had, you know, to me become just nothing but a Vessel for now, because here is where the issue— if you think about it, you got President Xi not attending. You got— now, I don't know about President Putin, I don't think so he's going to attend, maybe I'll be wrong. But one thing at least the Kremlin has already voiced is that they will not support any final communiqué that will be geared towards demonizing Russia or condemning Russia, whatever. Because here is the thing, that means what? Basically, in a simple language, if you are to do that, that means you are not taking into consideration an attendee, a member, attendee's input, which means in this case they will be ignoring what, what Russia's input is, you know. And this is where I see, or, or the term I used, that, uh, G20 is nothing but an echo chamber. It's because what we're gonna want, we the Americans, what we will want is that the final communiqué will focus mainly on condemning Russia regarding the Ukraine conflict. Well, the G20, it's not for that. But on the other hand, if you think about the members of G20 Most of them are US allies. You see what I'm getting at, okay? And I'm going to be sharing some pictures with you. And this is where I see the arguments for why presidency made decision not to attend. How can you, for example, shake hands with somebody who is hostile to you in all aspects, from selling weapons to Taiwan to doing banning on chips, to furthering the sort of the presence of military surrounding the South China Sea, AUKUS, Quad, you've got the idea. And this is where I believe the idea of a vice presidency, to me, it's a powerful message. You know, now China doesn't have to say anything. Doesn't have to explain itself. And this is the reason why I always say to you guys, in international relations, context matters. This is a perfect example. Suffice it just for President Xi to say, I am not attending. That's it. G20 now is nothing but a hype. This is nothing but a hype, let alone how India went about it, what it did. So it can show the image. And let me start sharing some stuff with you. You're gonna see an image. Well, first of all, here are— look at this one here. I'll let you guys comment on it. You don't need me to comment on that. And you remember yesterday I talked to you about the, uh, bankruptcy of Birmingham, okay? Let me see another picture. While the British people, uh, it's across the board, not just in Birmingham, with the inflation the way it is. So yeah, he can attend whatever, but that's beside the point. So now here is what I wanted to share with you, and I'm going to leave this here for a second. And, and I have a link, by the way, for you guys to understand what this picture is all about. This is where India went ahead, okay, and, uh, and did the— take down the slums. Why? It's because it wants to show a different image to to the rest of the leaders coming. This lady on this picture here just lost her home. It was demolished. And I'm going to share a video with you, so let me share this with you because as I always say, truth matters. And I don't know about the sound, guys, so I hope you, you can hear it. Please can't hear. Victor, why are you still living in there? And fresh again, there's there's nothing I can do about this one here. It's, uh, I can't expedite it, but it's worth hearing after, uh, what just happened to this woman. Again, don't get me wrong, India is not the only country who does that. FYI, we gotta be fair, some other countries do the same when they have a big event like others. Brazil, that's instant freshness, even for A bulldozer tears down Savita's home in Delhi. Helpless and distraught, she looks on, recording on her mobile. Her daughters, just off camera, try comforting her. Stop crying, mother, or you'll fall sick, they say. Savita is just one of tens of thousands who have been rendered homeless in the lead-up to the big G20 meet in Delhi. Where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will walk in as the voice of the Global South. When world leaders arrive in New Delhi this weekend, they won't see some of the slums that would have fallen on their route. Instead, what they will see is this— statues. Okay, I'm, I'm gonna stop this one here and I'll send you the link, guys, so you can have it and you can watch it yourself later on if you like to. But my point, my point is, while you want to present an image about your country, and I'm not against something like this, but you don't go about destroying people's lives. Why that lady had to suffer by losing her home? Because the government can decide to do whatever. We have the same here. You know, this is where I see the tyranny of governments. Doesn't matter in the US or elsewhere. The government shouldn't have that kind of power and authority. Then there is the other image that, which by the way, it suggests, and again, this is not about just India and I'm going to provide both sides of the arguments. If we are to think about, and I'm going to show you about the slums in India. And again, guys, please, please, please refrain from negative— there is no need for certain words to describe India, whatever. We gotta be respectful. That's how the country is. We have the same, I'm sure, in whatever part of the world you are, because we have to, you know, get above this kind of talk. We beyond that and we better than that. So, but here is the idea: when you look at something like this, basically the urban slums in India, basically it's nothing but a problem within the policy in You know, there are not enough policies inside India that can tackle those kind of issues. And that brings a problem with it. How can you call yourself a global superpower or aspire to be global power, or you want to be the voice of the Global South when you can't get your act together domestically? And this is where I see the shortcomings of Prime Minister Modi's government, let alone now with the devastating report that just came out from the UN regarding the sexual violence and the atrocities being committed in Manipur. So all this to put that picture on G20. Yes, do you want to have a successful summit and all that? More power to you. But on the other hand, you don't hide behind the facade of when it's not true. And by the way, I'm going to share picture with you from LA. In Los Angeles, here in US, to show you what do we have also here in the United States. Shame on our country to have this in the streets. This is where people live. If you go now to San Francisco, this is what you're going to see. And yet we sending our money to Ukraine, and for what? You know, shame on our government. I'll say it straightforward. That's why I kind of, uh, uh, Biden is hope— it's useless. It is useless and dumb and stupid. You know, I, I won't shy away from criticizing the president because he is not doing a good job for the American people. It's the damn politics. That's straightforward. So to put this within the perspective of how, uh, uh, back to our summit, uh, uh, conversation here, What the summit's going to achieve, it's basically, it's going to be just pushing narrative as to what we want. And I think by having President Xi not attending, sending a very, very strong, strong message because remember this comes on the heels of a BRICS summit and now it starts to sort of, what's the word I'm looking for, showing you the priorities, the priorities when it comes down to multipolarity. That's how I see it. So because to me it becomes the idea of the President Xi— President Xi, I'm sorry— a decision not to attend it. That's the idea of the big picture, China's vision., and I intend to address this with Professor Hammond, Dr. Hammond, when we go online in about an hour from now. So this is where I see, again, comes on the heels of BRICS. Remember, events, when it comes down to geopolitics, events do hold the meaning. You have to put the big picture together. That is always the case. Never ever assume that, oh, it just is happening in a vacuum. There is no such thing happening in a vacuum. Uh, let me, while I have this, this open here, I'm going to share a link with you regarding the, the homelessness, how bad it's getting here in the US. Talk about my country here, I can't talk about India, China. So just for you guys, when you have a chance to read, because you need to be informed. So, so, and this is where I see, uh, sort of the analysis of some other individuals. It's kind of in line exactly with at least what I was thinking. And again, I speak for myself, I don't speak for others, because if I am wrong, it's, it's my, my responsibility. I bear the responsibility for it. And of course, I have no problem of coming forward and say I was wrong, I misread this or misread that. But usually I'm very, very careful about this one. So, so what I'm saying, what I'm saying to you guys here is this idea of President Xi not attending, it's basically, again, it's part of where the new global order is headed now. Because It's reality. You have your biggest economy in the world and it's neither— it's not attending. Because one thing I want you guys to keep in mind, in the world of diplomacy, you know, if you want to send a message, it's like what I talked about earlier. Sometimes in events or setting, you just send the lower delegation. In other words, not the the leadership. For example, just to give you an example, even though our— what's his name— Secretary of State Tony Blinken went to China and met with China this time, but not the time before. I know sometimes I said, well, he never met with him. I meant this last time, but he did meet with him at one point. But even with that, he was Secretary of State meeting with the president. Usually it happens, but in the world of diplomacy, it's counterpart to counterpart. And this is why President Biden was saying, and I quote, "Oh, I am disappointed not to meet Xi." Well, who gives a damn about whether you are disappointed or not? Who even cares about whether you are disappointed or not? But of course, Uncle Joe is not gonna want to admit that, oh, it's because the world is changing and we no longer are the most convincing power in the world anymore. That's why. And of course he's not gonna say that, let alone he doesn't even remember what he had for dinner yesterday. So no offense to elderly people, but you know, it's kind of pathetic to see him dragging our country where it's going right now. So, and basically, of course, this is why you see now articles coming out about what the idea of the border tensions between India and China. And it just, they just inflating the stories, inflating the stories. That is, India and China are working, are talking behind the to figure out. And as I always say, they're gonna have to figure that out, otherwise them together in the same block like BRICS will not good way moving forward. Now there are those of you who say, well, why don't they kick India out of BRICS? No, you can't because it's one of the members. There's a protocol for that. Now that leaves them with one option, at least to my knowledge, is that they have to be dissolved and reestablished again without India. But that's not gonna be— always remember, optics, optics on the international stage matter. That's not gonna— so you're basically gonna have to exist with, uh, with, uh, I don't know what the term to use, uh, with the unwelcome member, because I just don't see what, uh, literally where things are headed with BRICS. I really don't see what India is gonna contribute. Yeah, I don't see. But again, that's my, my own opinions. So, and, and, and the other aspects we need to think about it also is because remember the idea of emerging other platforms, you know. Well, remember when G20 last time in Bali in Indonesia and what the Indonesian president said, Joko, he said, I'm inviting the Russian president whether you like it or not. That was a right call. That was the right call, you know. I mean, do you guys see Prime Minister Modi will tell the Americans, no, no, no, no, we don't want to have any final communiqué that just address the Ukraine conflict because this is not Ukraine, this is G20. I just don't see Modi doing that because he doesn't have the strength to, sorry, that's the reality, that's the truth. So, and this is to me why the message that presidency is sending by not attending, uh, it's, it's, it's very, very powerful. I don't know how else to explain. So now there is the other thing that I told you I will share with you briefly here because I need to get off here, uh, go prepare for my, uh, conversation with, uh, Professor Hammond. So the idea that was the post that was claimed that Nigerian president attend, uh, sort of, uh, prioritizing or attending the G20 Summit. And even with the India G20 Summit in itself, you know, I came across something that says— and I'm going to share the link with you— how India G20 presidency can set an example in prioritizing water action. How ludicrous that is when a country that is so struggling with poverty, uh, crumbling— I mean, dysfunctional infrastructure— and yet they are worrying about prioritizing water. I don't know, what do you make out of it? So let me share a link with you guys and you can take a look at it later on. But what I wanted to refer to here is the idea of, uh, uh, about how, uh, some social media platforms, uh, were, uh, sort of, uh, uh, posting claims that Nigerian president— you all remember the guy, right? Bola Tinubu, the head of the ECOWAS, that wants to conduct military actions in Niger. Keep dreaming, man. That attended the G20 Summit hosted in India without being invited, you know. Well, they got some, uh, entities that fact-checked on this and found that the claim to be false. Why? Nigeria, you know, is not a permanent member of the international forum. It is one of the 9 countries, 9 guests countries of this year's meeting. BRICS did the same, invited countries to attend not as members but as a guest. It's no different here because remember, Nigeria is not a member of G20, its economy is not there. So Tinubu, the president, was never invited to the summit. Oh, so the question is, why did he win Why did he go to India 4 days earlier? So, and this is why the, uh, yeah, let, let me share the link with you guys. So again, I like to provide you the links so you'll read it for yourself and you can reach your own conclusion. And this is when I said earlier about the, uh Oh, Boon! Hi, Boon, how are you? I haven't seen Boon. Boon is a member of the channel, been— it's been with me since I started, and I was wondering because I haven't seen quite a while. So I hope all is well, Boon, and thank you so much for your super sticker. You wrote, I wonder if the Chinese delegation brought some phones from Huawei as gifts. Maybe they should give some to Joe to console his disappointments. You all know what, what Boone is talking about, guys, right? Does anybody know? Can you put it on the chat box? What is he referring to? Before I'll explain, because I intend to do a video on this phone, by the way, for all of you to know. It's a major development And I was aware of it about 2 days ago, and just yesterday I, I said to myself, I need to do a video for this. Can anybody tell me what the story is all about? What Boone was referring to? You know, let me repost this one again so for you guys to see. You can post that. There it is. You know, I wonder if the Chinese delegation brought some phones from Huawei as a gift. Can anybody tell me what phone is referring to, guys? I remember we're all here to learn. We want to know that. I just want to engage you guys to get involved in, in the conversation part of it as well. iPhones. Yeah, but what is exactly, Steve? What specifically? You are correct, but what is exactly on that? I'll, I'll, I'll give it another minute or two just for anybody else can provide some insights here. But you are absolutely correct, Steve, it's about iPhone. But what way? I'll give you guys a hint: the Chinese government issued an order. Chinese story is finished. Okay, I don't know what you're referring to here, man. Yeah, nanometers chip. No, here is, here is— yeah, let me, let me explain this quickly here because I have to go for my next, uh, uh, uh, live with Dr. Hammond. Basically, the Chinese government has ordered its official to draw— yes, yes, Steve, you're absolutely correct— banning iPhones anymore. Why? Because Huawei develops its own chip, develop its own, uh, operating system. They don't need that anymore, which means it's bad news for, uh, for, for Apple. Because here's the thing, Apple has been arguing with the US government, you do not want to cut off the chips to, to China. You do not want to, because that's where we produce our phones and so forth, let alone One big one is that the US did not want to allow the sale of the Huawei phones here in the US. So Chinese government said, all of it, ban them all. And I was aware of this case few years ago when a phone similar to— at that time it was iPhone 11 or something like this. Wow, I had a similar something, was costing— it was costing $128 here in the US at that time, and iPhone was about $400, $600. And the US said, oh, we can allow those phones to be sold here. Yeah, so thank you, Bon, for bringing this up. Truly appreciate it. So that is what's all about. I'm gonna do a video for you guys about this. Just be on the lookout for that. All right, let me wrap up my talk here because I have to go get ready for my talk with Professor Hammond coming also. So this is just— I want you guys to understand the big picture, as always. So because you're gonna be now bombarded with, you know, images on TV or articles or analysis from some think tanks or academia, what have you, all of them is going to inflate the story. Successful G20 and all this, but in reality it's nothing but an echo chamber, no more, no less. And you get the countries there with no spine whatsoever, they're just doing what they are being told to do. But the decision for presidency not to attend sends a strong message as far as the changing of the dynamics of the global order, because that is a part of this. And that's the way I interpreted it, and that's how I see it. So anyway, hope you guys find this conversation, uh, informative, and I look forward to seeing you in about, what, uh, 20 minutes from now with, uh, Dr. Hamid. All right guys, as always, remember, your politics affect your daily life. And always, then on. Till next time, bye-bye.