Byron Chong was quoted in the South China Morning Post for his views on the 2023 G20 Summit and its wider impact on global international relations.
According to Chong, the initiatives announced by India at the G20 was a means to “position itself as a serious contender to China for leadership of the Global South”.
Among the many initiatives announced, a plan to reform multilateral development banks and expand their lending capacities, can be seen as “an attempt to weaken China’s influence and status as the key source of developmental loans and aid for poorer nations”.
India also announced a massive rail and shipping project connecting India with Europe through the Middle East in partnership with the US, EU and some Gulf and European states, which Chong described as “the most overt indication of India’s intention to compete with China”.