PM Modi will try to squeeze in pull-aside meetings with Sunak, Kishida and Albanese on G20 Summit day

With requests for bilateral meetings coming in from key allies and close associates, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is simply running out of time during the G-20 summit. PM Modi returns from the ASEAN summit in Jakarta today at 645 pm.

Such is the pressure of time that both US President Joe Biden and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are virtually driving straight to Lok Kalyan Marg residence to hold meetings with PM Modi on Friday evening.

With the bilateral window closing on September 10 lunch between PM Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron, there is a strong possibility of Indian leader having what Americans call a 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 now are undergoing the onerous exercise to fit in meetings on priority like Sunak, who is committed to India-UK FTA, and QUAD partners Kishida and Albanese. India’s close ally Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will be hosted by PM for a state visit on September 11 with no other bilateral on that day. Apart from these meetings, PM Modi will find time for his close friend and ally UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed.

Even though Bharat Mandapam has the wherewithal to allow PM Modi to have bilateral meetings and pull aside efficiently at the G-20 venue, the Indian leader will be constrained by the fact that he will be hosting sessions at the multilateral summit.

However, India and US are looking towards a key bilateral meeting, perhaps a working dinner, between PM Modi and US President Biden and outcome is expected out of the meeting. The meeting comes after the US Congress has approved the GE-414 engine deal of 100 per cent manufacturing TOT transfer with HAL and the two sides are working towards reviving the civilian nuclear deal as part of the clean energy initiative.

There is progress on setting up resilient global supply chains in India in the field of semiconductors and quantum computing as well as 6G telecom technologies.

While PM Modi will be welcoming Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the G-20 summit, the possibility of a bilateral or pull aside is remote as the visitor handles only economic issues in China under paramount leader Xi Jinping.

Even though President Xi chose not to attend the G-20 summit, the belligerence of China, demonstrated recently with a standard map through which Beijing has claimed Taiwan, South China Sea, parts of East Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, will be discussed on the sidelines of the G-20 summit.