Bali G20 meet: Modi reviews India-US ties with Biden, shakes hands with Xi

The first day of the G20 summit 2022 in Bali, Indonesia, on Tuesday turned out to be eventful in many ways. First, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden reviewed the status of the India-US strategic partnership, including that in sectors such as critical and emerging technologies and artificial intelligence.

Later, PM Modi was seen shaking hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a side event, a significant gesture because of the strained bilateral relations over the Galwan Valley clash in 2020. The brief exchange was caught in a live video feed for the media from the welcome dinner hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo for G20 delegates.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Chinese President Xi Jinping and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at G20 dinner hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bali, Indonesia.

(Source: Reuters) pic.twitter.com/nZorkq4R1Y

— ANI (@ANI) November 15, 2022

Though Xi and Biden held a meeting on Monday afternoon, the Chinese President has no such meeting scheduled with Modi, though there was some speculation over a possible one. Since the June 2020 Galwan Valley clash, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed, there have been no one-on-one meetings between the two leaders.

Modi and Biden are understood to have touched upon the Ukraine conflict and its implications in their meeting that took place on the margins of the G20 summit. In its official statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) only said the two leaders discussed “topical global and regional developments.”

Watch: Ensure food security supply chain: PM Modi at G20 Summit in Bali

“They reviewed the continuing deepening of the India-US strategic partnership, including cooperation in future-oriented sectors like critical and emerging technologies, advanced computing, artificial intelligence, etc.,” the statement said.

Modi thanks Biden for “constant support”

The MEA said Modi thanked Biden for his “constant support” to strengthening the India-US partnership. “He expressed confidence that both countries would continue to maintain close coordination during India’s G20 Presidency,” it said.

The MEA said the two leaders expressed satisfaction about the close cooperation between India and the US in new groupings, such as Quad and I2U2. While the Quad comprises India, the US, Australia, and Japan, the members of the I2U2 include India, Israel, the US, and the United Arab Emirates.

Also read: G20 meet begins in Bali; Indonesian President Widodo welcomes Modi

MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted: “A useful exchange between PM @narendramodi & @POTUS @JoeBiden on sidelines of G20 Bali Summit. Leaders appreciated the continuing deepening of India-US Strategic Partnership & close cooperation in groups like Quad, I2U2, etc. Agreed to maintain close coordination during #G20India.”

Repeated messages of peace

Modi and Biden’s conversation came within days of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the ASEAN-India Summit in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh last week. Jaishankar and Blinken discussed a range of issues, including bilateral ties, the Ukraine conflict, and the situation in the Indo-Pacific, among others.

Though India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has been maintaining that the crisis must be resolved through diplomacy and dialogue. In his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand in September, Modi told him, “today’s era is not of war.”

Also read: Will discuss key issues of global concern with G20 leaders in Bali: PM Modi

In a phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on October 4, Modi said there could be “no military solution” and that India was ready to contribute to any peace efforts.

“India a ray of hope to world”

During the day, PM Modi also addressed the Indian diaspora at an event in Bali, asserting that India was a ray of hope for the world in the 21st century.

Namaste Bali!

PM @narendramodi interacted and addressed a gathering of Indian diaspora and friends of India in Bali, Indonesia.

He highlighted the close cultural & civilisational linkages between 🇮🇳 & 🇮🇩, and the role of the diaspora in deepening our vibrant ties. pic.twitter.com/YMVfYAJxLF

— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) November 15, 2022

He said there was a huge difference between “pre-2014 and post-2014 India,” saying the country was moving ahead at an “unprecedented speed and scale” as he underlined that it was now the fastest growing large economy and ranked first in several sectors.

The Modi-led BJP government was voted to power in 2014 and swept back to power in the 2019 general elections.

Also read: Modi at G20: We must not promote any curbs on energy supply

He claimed India was now number 1 in digital transactions, global fintech, IT outsourcing, smartphone data consumption, and vaccine manufacturing. “Since 2014, we have opened more than 320 million bank accounts—more than the population of USA,” he said.

“The talent, technology, innovation, and industry of India have made an identity for themselves in the world. Several big companies of the world today have an Indian-origin CEO,” he added.

(With agency inputs)