G20 Summit LIVE Updates: Several world leaders, including US Prez Joe Biden, British PM Sunak, UN Secretary-General Guterres, arrive in Delhi
Sandeep Dikshit
New Delhi, September 8
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the US President Joe Biden vowed to extend bilateral ties in newerdomains andexpressed appreciation for the substantial progress underway to implement the wide-ranging decisions taken by them at their last interaction less than three months back in June.
In a joint statement issued at the end of their meeting at the PM’s Office on Friday, they resolved todeepen and diversify the India-US defence partnership through expanded cooperation in new and emerging domains such as space and AI, and accelerated defence industrial collaboration.
Here to attend the G20 Summit, Biden lauded India’s Presidency and said it demonstrated how the G20 as a forum is delivering important outcomes. He also congratulated PM Modi, the scientists and engineers 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.
India and the US will now mount a joint effort to the International Space Station next year and are continuing efforts to finalise a strategic framework for human space flight cooperation by the end of this year.
The Joint Statement skirted the Ukraine conflict although the US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has accompanied Biden and will be pressing for more countries to join in sanctions against Russia.
But they said that therelationshipis strengthened by the “shared values of freedom, democracy, human rights, inclusion, pluralism, and equal opportunities for all citizens.”'
The Joint Statement hadlittle political content with the most important being that Biden will visit India next year for the Quad Leaders’ Summit and the leaders' backing for freedom of navigation. Biden also reaffirmed his support for a permanent seat for India in the UN Security Council andwelcomed India’s candidature for the UNSC non-permanent seat in 2028-29.
Turning to technology partnerships, which formed the bulk of the Joint Statement, the two leaders felt it is playing a “defining role” in their strategic ties especially through the NSAs-led Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET).
They were also satisfied over the building of resilient global semiconductor supply chains and noted that Microchip Tech will invest about $ 300 million and Advanced Micro Device $ 400 million in India while Micron, LAM Research, and Applied Materials are implementing the announcements made during PM Modi’s State Visit to the US in June.
A substantial part of the Joint Statement covered the defence industrial ecosystems and touched on US Congressional Notification approving tech transfer and manufacturing of GE jet engines in India, a second Master Ship Repair Agreement, Letter of Request from the Ministry of Defence to procure 31 highly advanced drones and intensified talks on next generation small modular reactor technologies.
The two leaders also welcomed the growing bilateral cooperation in cancer research, prevention, control, and management, and looked forward to the launch of the India-US Cancer Dialogue in November. It will be preceded by the US-India Health Dialogue in October. .
Prime Minister @narendramodi and @POTUS @JoeBiden are holding talks at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg in Delhi.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 8, 2023
Their discussions include a wide range of issues and will further deepen the bond between India and USA. 🇮🇳 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/PWGBOZIwNT
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.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 8, 2023
It is my firm belief that…
I’ve landed in Delhi ahead of the #G20 summit.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) September 8, 2023
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. pic.twitter.com/72vE60c7Fg
Arrivals ongoing for the G20 Summit!@PresidencyZA @CyrilRamaphosa welcomed by MOS @RailMinIndia, @CoalMinistry & @MinesMinIndia @raosahebdanve.
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) September 8, 2023
DPM Sayyid Asaad bin Tarik Al Said of Oman welcomed by MOS Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution & @moefcc @AshwiniKChoubey. pic.twitter.com/ZQHFUqPmm1
#human rights #Joe Biden #Narendra Modi #United States of America USA

The Delhi government has formed special teams to ensure that the city's air quality remains at a satisfactory level during the G20 Summit, which will witness several world leaders take part, officials said on Friday. The 11 teams formed for each district will take steps such as the use of water sprinklers and mechanised sweeping to check dust, a senior government officer said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday arrived in India to attend the G20 Summit. The Canadian PM, accompanied by his son Xavier, was received by the Union Minister of State (MoS) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived in New Delhi to participate in the G20 Summit scheduled to be held on September 9-10. The Australian premier was accompanied by his partner Jodie Haydon.

Biden is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with Modi on Friday itself. During the meeting, the two leaders are likely to review the progress made on the decisions that they took during the prime minister's official state visit to Washington in June.

Both foreign leaders arrived to a warm welcome at the New Delhi Airport to attend the G20 Summit.

“I believe we need reform of UNSC to reflect realities of today's world,” said Antonio Guterres.
He said climate crisis is worsening dramatically, but collective response lacking ambition, credibility and urgency. “G20 leaders must show leadership on climate and achieving sustainable development goals,” added the UN chief.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed confidence that the G20 Summit will chart a new path in the human-centric and inclusive development. Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, he said on X that it is important to emulate his mission of serving the underprivileged, the very last person in the queue, as he underlined India's great emphasis on a human-centric way of furthering progress.