‘We did well,’ China tells itself after G20 Summit

NEW DELHI: China is looking to dust off the controversies that struck the recently-concluded G20 Summit in Hangzhou and give itself a pat on the back for hosting a major global event. The attempt at controlling the narrative on the summit came through in an editorial in the Chinese government-run Global Times newspaper on Tuesday.
“Some in the media were more interested in seeing China make mistakes as a host than expecting fruitful results of the summit.It turned out that the summit went smoothly and was a crowd-pleaser,” read the editorial, referring presumably to the stand-off with US officials and media on the airport tarmac.
“China has encountered some controversies and challenges during its hosting of the G20 summit, but now they are all gone… As long as we are firm and dedicated, we will be confident that even if there are some errors, we can be at ease about it,” said the editorial.
Even as it maintained a tone of polite spite when referring to the US, the editorial recognized the opportunities the G20 Summit created for China when it comes to improving strained relations with Japan and South Korea.
It also claimed China had earned a great deal of soft power by hosting the high-level summit. Soft power, or the non-military influence that a country and its culture can have around the globe, has been a matter of focus in certain sections of the Chinese foreign policy establishment. China’s unfavourable perception in other countries despite its immense infrastructural feats in those countries has troubled Beijing, which continues to angle for a greater global role even as it grapples with tensions in its own neighbourhood.
"This is a valuable process for China as it conveys the meaning of being a major power... During China's rise, we will keep changing our understanding of success and become more skilled in coping with the West... China should make contributions to unite the world. The Hangzhou G20 summit proves that China has such capabilities and doing so suits our interests," the editorial read.