We aren’t the only ones consumed by Brexit – the whole world is watching

Viewing Brexit from afar, it can be tempting to think Britain is overly preoccupied with the saga, while definitive world events – the G20, the start of historic UN climate talks – drift by unnoticed.

Based in Delhi as Asia editor, I have to keep track of UK politics in my spare time. Unpicking the G20 alone has been more than enough to keep me occupied, with India’s prime minister Narendra Modi having a very busy few days in Argentina.

Modi managed one-on-one meetings with no fewer than 10 world leaders, plus the heads of the UN and EU. He was even able to squeeze in a chat with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad bin Salman, a last-minute addition to his schedule, just before leading an event called “Yoga for Peace”.

But from an Asian perspective, one of the most significant events was a meeting between Modi and China’s Xi Jinping.

The India-China rivalry has been a running theme of our coverage of the region for a long time now, impacting everything from the election in the Maldives to North Korea.

Modi and Xi agreed there had been a “perceptible improvement” in relations this year but, after a 73-day military standoff in 2017, things could hardly have got much worse.

At a recent lunch briefing with foreign ministry officials in Delhi, the spectre of China loomed large – “the dragon in the room”, as one called it. We met in one of the capital’s poshest Chinese restaurants, yet mysteriously only Indian food was served.

These sorts of events help journalists get a clearer idea of a country’s foreign policy priorities, even if officials can be a bit cagey on the details. From Africa to Afghanistan, India is vying with other world players for influence, even if it cannot compete with China’s sheer spending power.

A curious thing happens towards the end of the lunch when another journalist asks about India’s policy towards the UK, and the potential “opportunities” arising from it leaving the EU.

As the only Briton in the room, I find myself being asked to explain what is going on with Brexit – indeed, if it is even going to happen at all.

I do my best – a good job, I think – of setting out the lay of the land. “You see,” a high-ranking Indian official says, “how are we supposed to have a policy on Brexit when even you [Britain] don’t know what’s going to happen?”

It’s at that moment I realise: Britain isn’t overly preoccupied with Brexit. The rest of the world is just as captivated and confused, wondering with us what on earth is going to happen next.

Yours,

Adam Withnall

Asia editor