China increases Turkey's "3 i's" for a G-20 more relevant to the developing world

Turkey's G-20 presidency ended with the Antalya Summit last month, and the Chinese year has already begun with the release of the document "China G-20 2016: G-20 Summit 2016, China" that underlines its priorities for 2016. Looking back at the Turkish G-20 priorities document released approximately one year ago, one remembers the three "i's" - inclusiveness, implementation and investment. The Chinese raised the stakes to four "i's." The document states, "China, assuming the G-20 presidency for 2016, stands ready to work together with all members towards an innovative, invigorated, interconnected and inclusive world economy." What does that mean? If you ask me, the Chinese document says that the G-20 is becoming more relevant for developing countries. In 2016, China will continue with the trend - initiated by Turkey in 2015 - to steer the G-20 into a more effective forum for global governance of growth, trade and investment.

Turkey held 170+ meetings over the course of its G-20 presidency - more than any previous host. The outcomes of these many meetings are reflected in the wealth of topics covered by the final G-20 communiqué of the Antalya meeting. Overall the Antalya communiqué reflected a strong emphasis on inclusiveness and developmental issues, including sustainable development goals (SDGs), energy access, climate change and refugee crises - these are highlights all critical for the G-20's relevance to the developing world. The two items that stood out in the communiqué were the inclusion of the internet for the first time in a leaders' declaration and the focus on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The economic and financial agenda was less groundbreaking, with successes in these areas limited to the completion of ongoing initiatives by the...