G-20 Summit: Time Crunch for PM Modi As Bilateral Meetings Pile Up Amid Geopolitical Tensions

As requests for bilateral meetings pour in from key allies and close associates, Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces a time crunch at the G-20 summit. PM Modi is returning from the ASEAN summit in Jakarta today at 6:45 pm.

The time pressure is so intense that both US President Joe Biden and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are virtually heading directly to PM Modi's residence on Lok Kalyan Marg for meetings on Friday evening.

With the bilateral window closing on September 10 after lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron, PM Modi is likely to have pull-aside meetings with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Australian PM Anthony Albanese, and EU leaders during the summit on Saturday.

PM Modi's close aides are now working diligently to prioritize meetings, including those with Sunak, who is committed to an India-UK FTA, and QUAD partners Kishida and Albanese. On September 11, PM Modi will host a state visit by India's close ally, Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with no other bilaterals scheduled for that day. In addition to these meetings, PM Modi will make time for his close friend and ally, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed.

While Bharat Mandapam has the infrastructure to accommodate PM Modi's bilateral meetings and pull-asides at the G-20 venue, the Indian leader will be constrained by the fact that he will also be hosting sessions at the multilateral summit.

Nevertheless, India and the US are working towards a significant bilateral meeting, possibly a working dinner, between PM Modi and President Biden, with expected outcomes. This meeting follows the US Congress's approval of the GE-414 engine deal involving a 100 percent manufacturing transfer of technology with HAL, and the two sides are aiming to revive the civilian nuclear deal as part of the clean energy initiative.

Progress has been made in India in establishing resilient global supply chains in areas such as semiconductors, quantum computing, and 6G telecom technologies.

While PM Modi will welcome Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the G-20 summit, the likelihood of a bilateral or pull-aside meeting is slim, as the visitor handles only economic matters in China under paramount leader Xi Jinping.

Despite President Xi's decision not to attend the G-20 summit, China's recent assertiveness, as demonstrated through a standard map claiming Taiwan, the South China Sea, parts of East Ladakh, and Arunachal Pradesh, will be discussed on the sidelines of the G-20 summit.