PM Modi to hold bilateral talks with at G20 summit, also meets Indians

Monday saw the arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bali for the G20 Summit and bilateral meetings with important leaders in attendance at this annual gathering of the world’s top economies.

“Halo Indonesia. Arrived in Bali to take part in the G20 Summit. I look forward to having discussions with world leaders on global issues,” Modi tweeted in the Indonesian language.

Halo Indonesia. Telah tiba di Bali untuk ambil bagian dalam helatan KTT G20. Saya berharap dapat berdiskusi dengan para pemimpin dunia mengenai berbagai isu global. @g20org pic.twitter.com/bmRHZj8dxt

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 14, 2022

US Vice President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are among the leaders of the 20 nations and the European Union who will be present at the two-day meeting, which started on Tuesday morning.

Modi met Indians shortly after arriving in Bali.

“During the Bali summit, I will have extensive discussions with other G20 leaders on key issues of global concern, such as reviving global growth, food and energy security, environment, health and digital transformation,” Modi said ahead of his departure from Delhi.

On the sidelines of the summit, Modi said he will meet with the heads of several additional participating nations to discuss the development of India’s bilateral relations with them.

It was unclear right away whether a separate meeting between Modi and Xi, who arrived in Bali earlier in the day, is in the works. Modi will have separate bilateral meetings with a number of leaders on the sidelines of the summit.

If it occurs, it will mark Modi and Xi’s first face-to-face conversation since the border skirmish between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in June 2020. The two did meet during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in September.

According to a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing, maintaining good relations is in the best interests of the people of China and India.

“We hope the Indian side will work with China in the same direction, follow through on the important common understandings reached between the Chinese and Indian leaders, promote sound and steady development of the relations, and safeguard the common interests of the two countries and our fellow developing countries,” spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

“As to the question you raised about a meeting between the Chinese and Indian leaders, I have nothing to share,” she added.