Narendra Modi and Joe Biden promised to strengthen the connection between the two countries during their second get-together within a period of six months. With the presence of the Russian and Chinese presidents being absent at the G20 heads of state conference, there were very small chances of a legally binding settlement being created since the two nations were against referencing Russia's military operations in Ukraine. India and America want to show themselves as a good option compared to China for the countries of the Global South, as the international political alliances are changing.
On Friday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden had their second bilateral meeting in less than six months, as Delhi gets ready to hold a summit of leaders from the Group of 20 most important industrialized and developing countries.Right after Biden's arrival in Delhi, the two leaders held a brief meeting at Modi's official residence and then released a joint statement consisting of 29 points. This statement showed the strong ties between them, which include the formation of robust strategic technology value chains, making connections between defense industrial ecosystems, sharing knowledge on renewable and nuclear energy, collaborating on climate financing and cancer research. The Quad, which was created in response to China's increasing power in the Indo-Pacific region and consists of Australia, India, Japan and the U.S., was recognized in the statement as both leaders affirmed the value of the alliance in preserving a free, open, inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific. The statement also acknowledged the substantial progress that has been made since Modi's historic visit to Washington in June 2023.
Modi held a secret meeting with Biden as the third in a series of bilateral meetings he organized prior to the G20 leaders' summit. This weekend's conference is especially crucial for Modi as his government is seeking to increase attention to India's global influence in the lead-up to next year's elections. Additionally, many governments, investors, and organizations are beginning to shift focus to India, as the IMF predicts it will be the fastest-growing economy of the year, due to China's deceleration.
This weekend's schedule looks to include the African Union joining the G20 as an official member. India is taking the lead to promote the Global South and support growth that is both equitable and sustainable. Russia's President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping won't be present. Putin is having Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov represent him and China Premier Li Qiang will come in Xi's place - this is the first time Xi has declined a G20 gathering since he took office in 2010.
Since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin over war crimes in Ukraine, he has not ventured outside of Russia. This lack of involvement has spawned worries that no joint state communique will be elucidated at the end of the G20 conference, weakening India's impact and diminishing his standing in the homeland. India, which assumed the rotating presidency in December 2022, has been unable to bring about binding resolutions in the key discussion tracks due to Russia and China disagreeing with the words referring to the Ukraine conflict. As the meeting approaches, strain has been mounted between the G7 nations (mainly the US, the UK, Germany, and France) and India as they try to emphasize their own individual views on the Ukraine struggle within the last documents of the G20 conventions. The Russian foreign ministry issued a statement expressing this pressure.
At a press conference ahead of the summit on Friday, India's G20 representative Amitabh Kant declared that the final declaration is nearly finished. He then noted that their presidency has been "inclusive, decisive and action-oriented."
Putin and Xi not being in attendance this weekend, India and the U.S. will try to demonstrate to the Global South's member states and spectators that they are a more trustworthy choice in regards to food security and debt resolution. In the joint statement made after their Friday meeting, Biden and Modi affirmed their dedication to the G20. They likewise had faith that the G20 Leaders' Summit held in New Delhi would advance collective objectives such as hastening sustainable growth, boosting multilateral collaboration, and constructing an international agreement concerning inclusive economic policies to tackle our most extensive shared issues, including overhauling and increasing multilateral development banks.
Despite recently travelling to South Africa for a BRICS meeting, Vladimir Putin has given an obvious reason for his absence from the meeting between Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi. Nonetheless, the Chinese leader has not indicated a justification for his non-appearance, leading to speculation of a possible snub. Xi has generally tended to prefer hosting visiting dignitaries in Beijing, with Zambia and Venezuela having visited this past weekend. This is set against the backdrop of India's burgeoning relations with the United States which contrast greatly against the ongoing standoff between India and its neighbour China. India was joined by Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan in sharply rebuffing China last week over a new national map that Beijing claims encompasses contested territories. India may also benefit from American companies seeking to diversify their supply chains away from China as the U.S. ramps up its efforts to prohibit strategic technology transfers to China for national security reasons. These benefits may well represent the ‘ambitious vision for an enduring India-U.S. partnership’ that Narendra Modi and Joe Biden discussed when they conceived of ‘a bright and prosperous future, serving the global good, and contributing to a free, open, inclusive, and resilient Indo-Pacific’.
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