G20 Summit 2023 Highlights: G20 Summit begins today amid divisions over Ukraine war, China’s ambitions

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday said he was not very hopeful of a peace solution to the Russia-Ukraine war in the "immediate future".

He was addressing a press conference here ahead of the G20 Summit.

"I am not very hopeful to have a peace solution in the immediate future. I believe the two parties are still decided to move on with the conflict," Guterres told reporters here when asked about India's role as a possible mediator to end the Russia-Ukraine war. "Obviously, we need to pay tribute to all those that with good intention tried to do everything possible for this dramatic situation to find an end," he said.

Asked whether it was the failure of the United Nations that issues such as the Ukraine conflict were coming in the way of a joint declaration at the G20 Summit, Guterres said it was easy to blame the United Nations for the actions of its member states. "It was not the UN that invaded Ukraine, it was not the UN that created the conditions for this conflict. "The responsibilities of member states must be assumed by member states and let's not make the UN the scapegoat of the failures or of the negative actions that are committed by member states," he said. (PTI)

Great seeing you, Mr. Prime Minister.

Today, and throughout the G20, we'll affirm that the United States-India partnership is stronger, closer, and more dynamic than any time in history. pic.twitter.com/bEW2tPrNXr

— President Biden (@POTUS) September 8, 2023

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan discussed Russia's aggression against Ukraine during their meeting in New Delhi, which comes ahead of the G20 summit, Japan's foreign ministry said in a statement.

At the meeting, the leaders of Japan and Turkey also exchanged views about the regional situation and discussed economic partnership between the two countries, the statement added. (PTI)

VIDEO | President of Indonesia Joko Widodo arrived in New Delhi for #G20India2023 earlier today. He was received by Union minister @nityanandraibjp. pic.twitter.com/yotUoKL2aO

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 8, 2023

As India rolls out the red carpet for the G20 Leaders’ Summit, one man who has been omnipresent in the run-up — from deliberations to preparations — is Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa.

Kant was appointed to his current role in July last year, months before India assumed the G20 Presidency. When Kant moved to Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, which houses the G20 secretariat, it wore a deserted look. On the domestic front, his immediate task was to build a team of officers, consultants and domain experts, and, at the same time, involve various stakeholders to start preparing for the diplomatic event. On the global forum, his priorities were to navigate the country’s interests in a polarised world in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as the G20 Leaders’ Summit 2022, under Indonesia’s Presidency, was just months away. Kant played a key role in forging consensus among sherpas of the G20 member countries in framing the G20 Bali Declaration (November 15-16, 2022) that echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘not-an-era-of-war’ phrase. Read More

Empty roads, key markets shut, the Delhi Metro nearly devoid of passengers: The Capital wore a deserted look on Friday after security measures and traffic restrictions kicked in for the G20 Summit.

The Delhi Police, paramilitary forces and other security agencies maintained a tight cordon to prevent any untoward incidents during the event. Officers said patrolling has been intensified in border areas and crucial locations, and markswomen and other armed forces have been deployed across the city, especially in the New Delhi district. Read More

? Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden, during the bilateral meeting, emphasized on the shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights, inclusion, pluralism, and equal opportunities for all citizens and said that these were critical to the success the countries.

? President Biden lauded India’s G20 Presidency for demonstrating how the grouping is delivering important outcomes. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the G20 and expressed confidence that the outcomes of the Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi will advance the shared goals of accelerating sustainable development, bolstering multilateral cooperation, and building global consensus around inclusive economic policies to address our greatest common challenges, including fundamentally reshaping and scaling up multilateral development banks.

? The two leaders reaffirmed the importance of the Quad in supporting a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific.

? President Biden reaffirmed his support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member, and, in this context, welcomed once again India’s candidature for the UNSC non-permanent seat in 2028-29.

? Prime Minister Modi and President Biden reaffirmed technology’s defining role in deepening our strategic partnership and lauded ongoing efforts through the India-US Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology to build open, accessible, secure, and resilient technology ecosystems and value chains.

? President Biden congratulated Prime Minister Modi and the scientists and engineers of the Indian Space Research Organisation on Chandrayaan-3’s historic landing at the south polar region of the Moon, as well as the successful launch of India’s first solar mission, Aditya-L1.

? The leaders reiterated their support for building resilient global semiconductor supply chains, noting in this respect a multi-year initiative of Microchip Technology, Inc., to invest approximately $300 million in expanding its research and development presence in India and Advanced Micro Device’s announcement to invest $400 million in India over the next five years.

? PM Modi and President Biden also welcomed the signing of an MoU between Bharat 6G Alliance and Next G Alliance, operated by Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions, as a first step towards deepening public-private cooperation between vendors and operators

? The United States reiterated its commitment to working together with India in the quantum domain, both bilaterally and through the Quantum Entanglement Exchange, a platform to facilitate international quantum exchange opportunities; and welcomed the participation of India’s S N  Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata.

? The leaders hailed the signing of an Implementation Arrangement between the US National Science Foundation and India’s Department of Biotechnology to enable scientific and technological research collaborations in biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovations

? The leaders welcomed the signing of an MoU between Indian universities, represented by the Council of Indian Institutes of Technology, and the Association of American Universities (AAU) to establish the India-US Global Challenges Institute.

? The leaders affirmed the importance of efforts to close the gender digital divide in the digital economy, noting a G20 commitment to halve the digital gender gap by 2030 and expressed support for the Women in the Digital Economy Initiative, which brings together governments, private sector companies, foundations civil society and multilateral organizations to accelerate progress toward the closure of the digital gender divide.

? The leaders welcomed completion of the Congressional Notification process on 29 August 2023 and the commencement of negotiations for a commercial agreement between GE Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautical Limited to manufacture GE F-414 jet engines in India, and recommitted to work collaboratively and expeditiously to support the advancement of this unprecedented co-production and technology transfer proposal.

? The leaders commended the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) team for establishing a robust collaboration agenda to harness the innovative work of the US and Indian defence sectors to address shared security challenges.

? President Biden welcomed the issuance of a Letter of Request from the Ministry of Defence of India to procure 31 General Atomics MQ-9B (16 Sky Guardian and 15 Sea Guardian) remotely piloted aircraft and their associated equipment, which will enhance the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of India’s armed forces across all domains.

? Reiterating the importance of nuclear energy as a necessary resource to meet our nations’ climate, energy transition, and energy security needs, Prime Minister Modi and President Biden welcomed intensified consultations between the relevant entities on both sides to expand opportunities for facilitating India-US collaboration in nuclear energy, including in development of next generation small modular reactor technologies in a collaborative mode.

From free trade agreements via the Quad to supporting India’s permanent membership in the UN Security Council and congratulating ISRO over the success of the Chandrayaan-3 moon mission — Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden held bilateral talks on Friday evening over wide-ranging topics to deepen ties between the two nations. This is Biden’s first visit to India as the US President, three months after Modi was in America on a State visit. The last US President to visit India was Donald Trump in February 2020.

As US President Joe Biden reached Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence after landing in New Delhi for a bilateral meet, the PM wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Happy to have welcomed @POTUS @JoeBiden to 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. Our meeting was very productive. We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and USA. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a great role in furthering global good.”

Happy to have welcomed @POTUS @JoeBiden to 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. Our meeting was very productive. We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and USA. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a… pic.twitter.com/Yg1tz9kGwQ

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

India has consistently pushed for global consensus on fighting terrorism and emphasised on a “uniform, unified and zero tolerance approach”. However, at the G20 the needle on terrorism decisively moved only in 2015 post the Paris attacks.

As top world leaders gather in New Delhi for the G20 summit, India will hope that a dialogue on the issue of terrorism leads to a consensus on how the global powers can cooperate to deal with the menace and, in particular, address India’s concerns on certain regional threats. Read More

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was greeted with the salutation of “Jai Siyaram” by Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey who received the visiting dignitary upon his arrival here on Friday to attend the G20 summit.

Choubey informed Sunak that he is an MP from Buxar which, he noted, is an ancient town of religious significance and is believed to be the place where Lord Ram and his brother Lakshman had studied under the tutelage of Vishwamitra, the minister's office said in a statement.

Welcome @RishiSunak! Looking forward to a fruitful Summit where we can work together for a better planet. https://t.co/xYYq9a9E0m

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

The British prime minister, who is of Indian origin, has often emphasised his Hindu roots and said he is proud of it.

"Sunak keenly heard the spiritual and cultural story of India," the statement said, adding that the minister welcomed him and his wife Akshata Murty, daughter of Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy, as India's son-in-law and daughter as well.

"India is a land of your ancestors. Everybody is enthusiastic at your arrival," Choubey told them. The minister gifted Sunak a rudraksh, Bhagavad Gita and Hanuman Chalisa, the statement added. (PTI)

PHOTO | PM Narendra Modi holds bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden.#G20SummitDelhi #G20India2023 pic.twitter.com/t64FMhQHuq

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 8, 2023

A 21-year-old man was arrested from north Delhi's Bhalswa Dairy area on Friday for allegedly making a hoax alert on social media on the G20 Summit, officials said.

The accused claimed on social media that an auto-rickshaw carrying guns and explosives was on its way towards the Pragati Maidan area where the G20 Summit is being held, they said. Taking swift action, Bhalswa Dairy police team traced the accused and arrested him for spreading false information in public.

The official 'X' handle of DCP Outer North was on Friday tagged on a post by the handle of one Kuldeep Sah in which he said that "an auto-rickshaw driver was going towards Pragati Maidan with guns and explosive" and a photo of the auto was also uploaded with the post, said a senior police officer. Considering the sensitivity of the post, the police checked and found the auto registered in the name of Gurmeet Singh (50), a resident of SSN Park, an official said. (PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden held bilateral talks on a range of issues at the former’s residence in New Delhi on Friday. This is Biden’s first visit to India as the US President, three months after Modi was in America on a State visit. The last US President to visit India was Donald Trump in February 2020.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said G20 leaders have the power to reset a climate crisis that is “spinning out of control” and urged them to reshape global financial rules which he described as outdated and unfair.

“The climate crisis is worsening dramatically – but the collective response is lacking in ambition, credibility, and urgency,” Guterres said in a speech in the Indian capital New Delhi, which is chairing the G20 this weekend.

Guterres asked the G20 to commit to keeping the "1.5 degree goal alive" - referring to the 2015 Paris Agreement goal of limiting the global average temperature rise to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and aiming for 1.5°. "I have put forward a Climate Solidarity Pact – in which big emitters make extra efforts to cut emissions; and wealthier countries support emerging economies to achieve this," Guterres said.

#WATCH | G-20 in India | Canadian PM Justin Trudeau arrives in Delhi for the G-20 Summit

He was received by MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar.#G20India2023 pic.twitter.com/QydfUkVVg0

— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

#WATCH | G-20 in India | Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives in Delhi for the G-20 Summit#G20India2023 pic.twitter.com/zdwDH8TZUf

— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

Visuals of Bharat Mandapam in Delhi all decked up to host the G20 Summit.#G20India2023 #G20SummitDelhi pic.twitter.com/SaMQDLWDMF

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 8, 2023

UN Secretary General Anotnio Guterres, who is in Delhi to attend the G20 Summit, said: “Terrorism is very high in my priority. It is the worst violation of human rights and is absolutely unjustifiable. Terrorism can never be the answer, it only amplifies problems.” Regarding new entrants to the UN Security Council, he added: “It is on UN Security Council members to define who should be in the council. But we need to adjust the composition of the Security Council as per the realities of the world.”

VIDEO | "Two things are crucial at the present moment. First, we need to look into an unequal world. Secondly, we have to look into climate and reduce emissions as things are getting out of control," @antonioguterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations tells @PTI_News ahead… pic.twitter.com/Z0OHY3PIAW

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 8, 2023

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden’s bilateral, here’s what Tanvi Madan wrote for The Indian Express Opinion: “Chinese leader Xi Jinping will not be in Delhi in person, but he will be on the India-US agenda when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden meet ahead of the G20 summit. The two sides should take the opportunity to update each other on their recent interactions with China. This would help address concerns that persist in India about G2 (a Sino-US rapprochement), and in the US about A2 (a Sino-India deal as part of a broader Asia-for-Asians agreement). Left unaddressed, G2-A2 anxieties could exacerbate the reliability concerns in the India-US relationship and weigh down the partnership.

The G2-A2 concerns have reemerged for a few reasons. Indian observers have closely followed the trips to China by US cabinet members, working-level Sino-US discussions, and some tempering of the administration’s rhetoric on China. Some in the US, in turn, have warily watched high-level Sino-Indian meetings, border negotiations, the signalling from official Indian sources ahead of the BRICS and G20 summits, Delhi’s agreement for the BRICS expansion, and the Modi-Xi exchange in Johannesburg.” Read More

VIDEO | US President @JoeBiden waves after he arrived at Delhi airport to attend #G20India2023.#G20SummitDelhi pic.twitter.com/4HdPPbeSM4

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 8, 2023

#WATCH | G-20 in India: US President Joe Biden departs for hotel after he arrived in Delhi for the G-20 Summit

He will hold a bilateral meeting with PM Narendra Modi later today#G20India2023 pic.twitter.com/w9Z1hMbXtG

— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

US President Joe Biden reached New Delhi and is set to hold bilateral talks later in the evening with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Modi, earlier in the day, held discussions with his Bangladesh and Mauritius counterparts Sheikh Hasina and Pravind Kumar Jugnauth respectively.

VIDEO | United States President @JoeBiden lands in New Delhi for #G20India2023. pic.twitter.com/9uHgt1XT4A

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 8, 2023

VIDEO | PM Modi holds a bilateral meeting with Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina in Delhi.#G20India2023 #G20SummitDelhi #G20Summit2023 pic.twitter.com/PKFh5CpsIs

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 8, 2023

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, while talking to the media about the Khalistan issue after reaching New Delhi for the G 20 Summit, said: “Let me just say unequivocally that no form of extremism or violence like that is acceptable in the UK. And that's why we are working very closely with the Indian government to particularly tackle 'PKE' Pro-Khalistan Extremism. I don't think it's right. Our security Minister recently was just in India talking to his counterparts. We have working groups together to share intelligence and information so that we can root out this kind of violent extremism. It's not right and I won't tolerate it in the UK."

#WATCH | G 20 in India | On his connect with India and his roots here, UK PM Rishi Sunak says, "...It is personally incredibly special for me to be back in India. It's a country I love dearly, a country where my family are from. But I have come here in this role to represent the… pic.twitter.com/HTH6CBqfIY

— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

Billboards looming across cities with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image. Footage of Modi with world leaders playing at public places, including Metros. Events across the country to ensure that the image of India as a changing power under Modi is imprinted in all corners. And packaging the same with an infrastructure push that can be seen and felt by the common man.

The ruling BJP has left no stone unturned to underline that the G20 Summit, which begins in earnest on Saturday, is a reflection of Modi’s “success” in bringing India to the world centre stage – the efforts dovetailing nicely with the party’s campaign pitch ahead of crucial electoral contests. Read More

#CORRECTION | G 20 in India | Deputy Prime Minister of Oman Asaad bin Tariq bin Taimur Al Said arrived in Delhi this afternoon for the G 20 Summit pic.twitter.com/bRr9OJV81H

— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

As British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reached Delhi for the G20 summit, here’s what he had to say: “I’ve landed in Delhi ahead of the G20 summit. I am meeting world leaders to address some of the challenges that impact every one of us. Only together can we get the job done,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

#WATCH | G 20 in India | Delhi: Spouses of G 20 leaders participating in the New Delhi Summit will visit the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA ), which will be showcasing traditional earrings & jewellery, quilts and Pashmina shawls.

Wrap Studio CEO Siddharth Saigal says, "We… pic.twitter.com/saZaF9Q5rw

— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

As the G20 Summit kicks off in New Delhi tomorrow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to his social media platform to pledge that all the countries gathered for the meet would work collectively to ensure peace around the world. “During the G20 Summit, I will be chairing sessions on ‘One Earth’, ‘One Family’ and ‘One Future’, covering a range of issues of prime concern to the world community. We will collectively work to further gender equality, women empowerment and ensure world peace,” he said.

He added: “Rooted in our cultural ethos, India’s G20 Presidency theme, ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - One Earth, One Family, One Future’ deeply resonates with our worldview, that the whole world is one family. India’s G20 Presidency has been inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented. We actively voiced the developmental concerns of the Global South.”

India is delighted to host the 18th G20 Summit on 09-10 September 2023 at New Delhi’s iconic Bharat Mandapam. This is the first ever G20 Summit being hosted by India. I look forward to productive discussions with world leaders over the next two days.

It is my firm belief that…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023

Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Road Ministry, General (retired) V K Singh, will receive US President Joe Biden and China’s Premier Li Qiang when they arrive in India, according to a list prepared by the Ministry of External Affairs in regards to leaders who will land at Air Force Station, Palam.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was received by Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Environment, Forest & Climate Change, while France President Emmanuel Macron, who is arriving in the national capital on Saturday, will be received by Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Singh Patel. “President of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez, will be received by Union Minister of State of Steel and Rural development Faggan Singh Kulaste. Prime Minister of Italy, Ms Giorgia Meloni, will be received by the MoS (Agriculture and Farmers Welfare) Sushri Shobha Karandlaje,” an official said. Read More

Speaking about the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said: “China is a multilateral player. In multilateral discussions, the issues are very different from bilateral issues and the Chinese discuss issues of growth, and development from their perspective. The challenge about any multilateral discussion is that you have to bring consensus across every issue as every country has a veto power. We've been able to work with every single country and bring them on board...”

VIDEO | "The journey has just now started. We will give a glimpse of the summit once it culminates. The leaders have to approve the recommendations, and once they get approved then they will be made public," says G20 sherpa @amitabhk87 on #G20India2023 joint declaration. pic.twitter.com/I8d0wIir9F

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 8, 2023

More than a hundred Tibetan refugees staged a protest in New Delhi on Friday, demanding that the “occupation” of their country by China be discussed during the two-day G20 summit.

Global leaders have started descending upon India's national capital for the summit, including US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. China President Xi Jinping will not be attending the gathering and will instead be represented by Prime Minister Li Qiang.

“China has captured our country, that is why we want to give a message that China is not a trustworthy country,” Gonpo Dhundup, President of the Tibetan Youth Congress, which organised the demonstration, told Indian news agency ANI.

“We place a demand before our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other global leaders to discuss Tibet during the G20 summit,” he said.

#WATCH | The Tibetan community in Delhi stage a protest near Majnu Ka Tilla against the Chinese Government pic.twitter.com/SIbELQG0uj

— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

The protest on Thursday took place barely 15 kilometres (9 miles) away from Pragati Maidan, the venue of the summit, and ended peacefully. ANI footage showed protesters, ranging from young children and students to the elderly, carrying Tibetan flags and chanting slogans of "we want freedom" and “Tibet belongs to Tibetans”.

Addressing the media a day ahead of the G20 Summit, chief coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla says: “There will be a strong emphasis on technology, especially ones that are linked to digital public infrastructure. And in that context, we will have a few exhibitions at the media centre... We have a Reserve Bank of India innovation hub which will display technologies in the fintech sector which has not yet been introduced to the public domain. These are still in the pilot stages. One of them is the central bank digital currency, through which even international media who are here, who don't have bank accounts in India, will be able to get some money in their mobile wallets and will be able to use that digitally to buy products in our crafts mela...”

#WATCH | G 20 in India | G 20 Chief Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla says, "At the time of the dinner that will be hosted tomorrow by our President, there will be a musical or song which will play in the background. This will represent musicians from all parts of our country.… pic.twitter.com/Uddo8f4o4C

— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

Addressing the press conference in New Delhi on the India’s G20 presidency, Amitabh Kant said, “When India took over the G-20 presidency in Bali, we were in the midst of a scenario of slowing growth and productivity worldwide... India felt that we should start our presidency with the theme of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ — the world is one family.  PM Modi said India's presidency should be inclusive, decisive, ambitious and action-oriented. We've lived up to his vision of being inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented and very decisive during our presidency."

#WATCH | G 20 in India | As he talks about key priorities for India's G 20 presidency, G 20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant says, "Second key priority for us was to have accelerated sustainable development goals because only 12 of the 169 SDGs are on track and we are way behind the schedule.… pic.twitter.com/rW62n0PO6x

— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

Leaders from the Group of 20 (G20) major economies kick off an annual summit meeting on Saturday to coordinate policy on food security, debt problems of vulnerable countries and climate action.

Here is a list of those attending and some key leaders who are skipping the meeting:

? Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez

? Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

? Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

? UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

? Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

? French President Emmanuel Macron

? German Chancellor Olaf Scholz

? Indonesian President Joko Widodo

? Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni

? Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida

? Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

? South African President Cyril Ramaphosa

? South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol

? Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan

? US President Joe Biden European Union

? President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen

? President of the European Council Charles Michel

? Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

? Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

? Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth

? Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte

? Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu

? Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tarik al-Said

? Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Notable names missing from the Summit:

? Chinese President Xi Jinping (represented by Premier Li Qiang)

? Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

? Russian President Vladimir Putin (represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov)

? Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez

Addressing the media a day before the G20 Summit kicks off in New Delhi, Amitabh Kant, the G20 Sherpa, said that India’s presidency and the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration will be the voice of the Global South and developing nations in the years to come.

VIDEO | Japanese PM Fumio Kishida arrives in Delhi to participate in the G20 Summit.

(Source: Third Party)#G20SummitDelhi #G20India2023 pic.twitter.com/fHR4XNjLFb

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 8, 2023

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has arrived in New Delhi for the upcoming G20 Summit. He was received by MoS for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey.

#WATCH | G 20 in India | United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrives in Delhi for the G 20 Summit.

He was received by MoS for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey. pic.twitter.com/NIHgQ00P23

— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2023

On Saturday morning, the world’s top leaders will gather in New Delhi for the G20 Summit to discuss the global challenges of our times — and to possibly find a direction towards resolving some of them.

India has hosted multilateral conferences, events, and summits earlier — the UNESCO conference in 1956, the Asian Games of 1982, the famous NAM Summit of March 1983, the Commonwealth Games of 2010, and the India-Africa Forum Summit in 2015. None of those could have rivalled the scale and importance of the G20 Summit of 2023.

For the first time, leaders of all permanent members of the United Nations Security Council — called the P-5 countries — will be in New Delhi at the same time. China’s President Xi Jinping and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin have chosen to give the Summit a miss, but they will be represented by Premier Li Qiang and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov respectively. The two-day Summit will conclude on Sunday. From India’s perspective, here are five things to take note of, and to watch out for. (Read more)

India’s digital public infrastructure push is Prime Minister Modi’s attempt to project India as a tech leader of the Global South, offering a public-private partnership model to the world to help solve fundamental global issues around digital identity, digital payments, etc. Bringing the benefits of digitalisation to underserved sections of the global economy — particularly important for developing countries such as India — is the foundation of the digital economy and digital skilling priorities. The driving force behind the emerging technology and cybersecurity priorities is ensuring that emerging technology is well-regulated and secure. India has called for a collaborative approach to finding effective regulation for emerging tech such as crypto and AI, while at the same time taking a tough regulatory line domestically on these issues, sometimes at odds with existing global consensus positions.

Building India Stack, India’s four-layer digital public infrastructure, has been a remarkable Indian success story. The layers include unique digital identities for individuals, an interoperable payments platform, personal data exchange/management through intermediaries, digital documents, and verification. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) — the payments layer — accounts for 68 percent of all payment transactions in India, while digitising Know Your Customer procedures has lowered associated costs of compliance from USD 12 to US 6 cents. These are just two examples of the potential of India Stack. (Read more)

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that their view is very much that having Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the G20 Summit hosted under India's Presidency would be a good thing.

Speaking in a press gaggle aboard Air Force One, Sullivan noted that Zelenskyy has been relentless in his capacity to engage all of the leaders who are seated at the table.

Responding to the question regarding Zelenskyy not being invited to the G20 Summit, Sullivan said, "Look from our perspective anytime President Zelenskyy gets the opportunity to address a body, a group is a good thing. We believe that about the G20, he addressed it last year but President Zelenskyy has been relentless in his capacity to engage all of the leaders who are seated at the table and we also saw in Jeddah not long ago many of the key countries of the G20 including from the Global South sit with Ukrainians in the same room to talk through the principles of a just and durable peace including sovereignty and territorial Integrity."

"So, I feel good about where we are. Although the US view is very much that having Zelenskyy have a role in this G20 would be a good thing," he added. (ANI)

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that their view is very much that having Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the G20 Summit hosted under India's Presidency would be a good thing.

Speaking in a press gaggle aboard Air Force One, Sullivan noted that Zelenskyy has been relentless in his capacity to engage all of the leaders who are seated at the table.

Responding to the question regarding Zelenskyy not being invited to the G20 Summit, Sullivan said, "Look from our perspective anytime President Zelenskyy gets the opportunity to address a body, a group is a good thing. We believe that about the G20, he addressed it last year but President Zelenskyy has been relentless in his capacity to engage all of the leaders who are seated at the table and we also saw in Jeddah not long ago many of the key countries of the G20 including from the Global South sit with Ukrainians in the same room to talk through the principles of a just and durable peace including sovereignty and territorial Integrity."

"So, I feel good about where we are. Although the US view is very much that having Zelenskyy have a role in this G20 would be a good thing," he added. (ANI)

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that their view is very much that having Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the G20 Summit hosted under India's Presidency would be a good thing.

Speaking in a press gaggle aboard Air Force One, Sullivan noted that Zelenskyy has been relentless in his capacity to engage all of the leaders who are seated at the table.

Responding to the question regarding Zelenskyy not being invited to the G20 Summit, Sullivan said, "Look from our perspective anytime President Zelenskyy gets the opportunity to address a body, a group is a good thing. We believe that about the G20, he addressed it last year but President Zelenskyy has been relentless in his capacity to engage all of the leaders who are seated at the table and we also saw in Jeddah not long ago many of the key countries of the G20 including from the Global South sit with Ukrainians in the same room to talk through the principles of adjust and durable peace including sovereignty and territorial Integrity."

"So, I feel good about where we are. Although the US view is very much that having Zelenskyy have a role in this G20 would be a good thing," he added. (ANI)

On US planning to announce a major rail deal with India and UAE-Saudi to connect both the Gulf countries and Arab countries with this major railway network, White House NSA Jake Sullivan says "I can’t confirm anything right now."

"This is an initiative that we have invested effort into with our partners. We believe that connectivity from India, across the Middle East, to Europe is incredibly important and will bring a significant number of economic benefits, as well as strategic benefits, to all of the countries involved but where things land with respect to any potential announcements this weekend, as opposed to down the line, I can’t say tonight," Sullivan said.

On US planning to announce a major rail deal with India and UAE-Saudi to connect both the Gulf countries and Arab countries with this major railway network, White House NSA Jake Sullivan says "I can’t confirm anything right now."

"This is an initiative that we have invested effort into with our partners. We believe that connectivity from India, across the Middle East, to Europe is incredibly important and will bring a significant number of economic benefits, as well as strategic benefits, to all of the countries involved but where things land with respect to any potential announcements this weekend, as opposed to down the line, I can’t say tonight," Sullivan said.

Heads of delegations of Spain and Italy, including PM Giorgia Meloni, have landed in New Delhi for the G20 Summit.

More Heads of delegations set foot in New Delhi for the G20 Summit!@CasaRosada @alferdez received by MOS @SteelMinIndia & @MoRD_GoI @fskulaste.

PM @GiorgiaMeloni of Italy received by MOS @AgriGoI @ShobhaBJP.

Also welcoming First Vice-President and Minister for the Economy &… pic.twitter.com/bZRU9tSo82

— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) September 8, 2023

Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda said he would not attend the G20 dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday due to health reasons.

The Janata Dal (Secular) supremo on Friday said he has already communicated this to the Union government. "I wish the G20 summit a grand success", he said on 'X', formerly Twitter. 

I will not be attending the G20 dinner organised by the Hon. President of India Draupadi Murmuji, on 09 September 2023, due to health reasons. I have already communicated this to the government. I wish the G20 summit a grand success. @PMOIndia @rashtrapatibhvn

— H D Deve Gowda (@H_D_Devegowda) September 8, 2023

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be travelling to New Delhi on Friday afternoon to attend President Droupadi Murmu's dinner invitation on the occasion of the G20 meeting, officials said.

During her visit to the national capital, Banerjee will meet leaders of different political parties, besides attending the official engagements, they said.

Banerjee was earlier scheduled to travel to New Delhi on Saturday, but it was rescheduled to Friday owing to regulation of flight movements in the national capital due to the G20 summit, officials said. The chief minister will return to Kolkata on Sunday, they said.  (PTI)

Negotiators of the G20 grouping are grappling with another dealbreaker paragraph – on climate change, beyond the Russia-Ukraine conflict on which a consensus remains a challenge.

While some countries want a strong language on the climate crisis, Saudi Arabia is opposing reference to phasing down or phasing out of the “fossil fuels” in the joint communique. 

While the Russia-Ukraine crisis has had a broad Global North vs Global South tinge to it, the debate on climate change paragraphs is not so neatly divided. It is more between the oil-producing countries vs the others; Saudi Arabia which is one of the major oil producing countries in the G20 is holding out on the paragraph. (Shubhajit Roy reports)

US Secretary of the Treasury, Janet L Yellen, said today that continuing to advance the US-India relationship will be a priority during the G20 Summit in Delhi this weekend. 

"We hope to move forward our efforts such as supporting the global agriculture and food security program...," she said, as per the ANI.

"Continuing to advance the US-India relationship will be a priority this week. We highly value our bilateral relationship with India. We also welcomed PM Modi to the US in June. The United States is the home to the largest Indian diaspora outside Asia and is India's largest export market..." she added. 

• Bilateral meeting with US President on Friday at PM Modi's official residence
• Bilateral meeting with Bangladeshi PM on Friday at PM Modi's official residence
• PM Modi will meet with the leader of Mauritius
• Bilateral meetings with the leaders of the UK, Japan, Germany and Italy on Saturday
• Working lunch meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday
• PM Modi will also have a pull-aside meeting with his Canadian counterpart
• He will also have bilateral meetings with the leaders of Comoros, Turkiye, the UAE, South Korea, the EU/EC, Brazil and Nigeria

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold over 15 bilateral meetings with world leaders between Friday and Sunday as India hosts the G20 summit meeting over the weekend. As per official sources, PM Modi will hold meetings with the following leaders:

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed confidence that India, all set to host the leaders' summit during its G20 presidency, will do “everything possible” to ensure that existing geopolitical divides are overcome and the crucial gathering of world leaders concludes with “possible results."

Guterres will arrive in Delhi on Friday to attend the G20 Leaders' Summit on Sept. 9 and 10 for which world leaders are travelling to India. (PTI)