India's G20 presidency championed the Global South. How can India preserve the forum's relevance amid US–China polarisation?

India's 2023 presidency, themed "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam", ended with a unanimously adopted New Delhi Leaders' Declaration, and India's initiative won the African Union permanent membership [2]. Under the US presidency of 2026, the G20 failed to agree on overcapacity and forced labour, and China blamed US tariffs for the "divergent opinions" [1]. India sits between both camps, which places it well to restore the forum's purpose.

Global South legacy: India's bridging capital

• Inclusivity: Bringing in the AU made the G20 more representative and more legitimate [2].
• Consensus craft: India got agreement by building the text around shared development priorities, not by blaming any member [2].

Why polarisation threatens the G20

• Consensus rule = veto: When the host targets a rival, the accused member can block any text, as China did [1].
• Tool mismatch: The surplus problem is real. The OECD projects global steel excess capacity of 745 million tonnes by 2028, driven by subsidies [3]. But meeting it with unilateral tariffs lets the accused country claim to be the victim [1].

How India can preserve relevance

• Narrow, signable agenda: Steer the forum back to shared problems such as debt relief, climate finance and digital public infrastructure.
• Unbundle disputes: Treat overcapacity as a measurable economic issue, separate from forced labour, which is a human-rights issue. Bundling the two let China reject both at once [1].
• Data over tariffs: Back joint, evidence-based action like the OECD Global Forum's framework with 28 steel-producing economies [4]. Push subsidy transparency instead of tariff wars [3].
• Troika and Global South coalition: Work with Brazil, South Africa and the AU so that development stays on the agenda whichever country hosts.
• Credible rules-based conduct: Defend Indian industry with WTO-consistent anti-dumping duties (via DGTR) while opposing unilateralism, and push for WTO reform so that trade disputes leave the G20.

To sum up, India's 2023 record shows the G20 works best as a forum for shared problems, not a court for great-power disputes. If India pushes a narrower agenda, keeps disputes separate and backs decisions with data, the G20 can stay the "premier forum" for economic cooperation and live up to the vision of "One Earth, One Family, One Future" [2].