The European Union plans to take advantage of the absence of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin from this week’s Group of 20 to step up its outreach to nations of the so-called Global South, through a high-level meeting with African leaders on the summit’s sidelines.
With both the Chinese and Russian presidents staying away from the two-day gathering in New Delhi, the EU wants to seize the moment, according to people familiar with the preparations who asked not to be named discussing internal strategy. The 27-nation bloc aims to show that it is serious about redefining its partnership with Africa, despite the troubled legacy of colonialism, they said.
