G20 Summit highlights: Biden backs India as permanent UN Security Council member

Regarding the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 Summit being hosted by India in New Delhi, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant says, “China is a multilateral player. In multilateral discussions, the issues are very different from bilateral issues and the Chinese discuss issues of growth, and development from their perspective. The challenge about any multilateral discussion is you have to bring consensus across every issue, every country has veto power. We've been able to work with every single country and bring them on board.” (ANI)

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra says, “If you really want to get a sense of India's vision, priorities and approach to the G 20 presidency, I would encourage all of you to read the Op-ed that the PM has written yesterday. It captures a distilled essence of how India envisions and looks at the ongoing G20.” (ANI)

Read PM Modi's opinion piece on G20 here

G20 chief coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Friday said that over the course of India's G20 presidency, there were around 100,000 visitors from over 125 countries and that they discovered a “new India”. 

“There will be a strong emphasis on technology, especially technology that is linked to digital public infrastructure. And in that context, we will have a few exhibitions at the Media Center... We have a Reserve Bank of India innovation hub which is again in the Media Center. And this innovation hub will display technologies that fintech which has not yet been introduced to the public domain. These are still in the pilot stages. One of them is the central bank digital currency, through which even international media who are here, who don't have bank accounts in India will be able to get some money in their mobile wallets and will be able to use that digitally to buy products in our crafts mela,” Shringla further said.  

Ajay Seth, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance ahead of G20 Summit in New Delhi said, “Under the leadership of our PM, the focus and the vision of India G 20 presidency is to bring focus to the global discourse issues which could make a difference to people's lives.” (ANI)

G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant spoke about key priorities during India's Presidency for G20 on Friday and said, "We wanted the world to take the lead on Green Development in the context of climate action and climate finance. There were several components of this which we wanted to drive and therefore, green development, climate action, climate finance were our third priority. Because both SDG and climate action require finance, particularly for developing and emerging markets in the global south. It was critical that we focus on multilateral institutions of the 21st century..." (ANI)

Due to the G20 Summit in Delhi, the Delhi Police implemented traffic restrictions in specific areas, resulting in noticeably empty streets on Friday. They erected substantial barricades and conducted vehicle and ID checks for individuals entering the vicinity surrounding the summit venue and the hotels housing the delegates.

At the exit of the Patel Chowk metro station, situated near some of the delegate-accommodating hotels, IDs of commuters were scrutinised, news agency PTI reported. Those who couldn't demonstrate that they were legitimate residents of the area or provide a valid reason for being there were requested to leave.

Even the usually bustling Hanuman Mandir in New Delhi, usually crowded with devotees, stood deserted. Additionally, the Connaught Place market and other markets remained closed as part of the security measures for the summit. 

Rishi Sunak, first Indian-origin Prime Minister of the United Kingdom arrived in Delhi on Friday to attend the G20 World Leaders' Summit. Sunak said his key points of focus will be backing Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion and the global economy.

Meanwhile his relatives in Indian have been hopeful on meeting him in the city, ‘if possible’. Gautam Dev Sood, Sunak's maternal uncle (according to a Telegraph report) was quoted by news agency as saying, “We are very happy that he is coming to India. There is a great sense of excitement, and we are trying to assemble in Delhi if it is possible to meet him.”

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy was received by received by Minister of State for Consumer Affairs Ashwini Kumar Choubey on their arrival in Delhi for G20 Summit.

United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak lands in Delhi for the G 20 Summit.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrives in Delhi for the G20 Summit.

She was received by MoS for Railways & Textiles Darshana Jardosh.

African Union President Azali Assoumani arrives in Delhi for the G20 Summit.

“This evening, I look forward to three bilateral meetings at my residence. I will be meeting Mauritius PM Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina and IS President Joe Biden. The meetings will give an opportunity to review India's bilateral ties with these nations and further strengthen developmental cooperation,” Narendra Modi tweeted on Friday. 

EAM Dr S Jaishankar called on PM of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth this morning.

He tweeted, "...Value Mauritius’ participation in the G20. Reaffirmed our commitment to take our truly special partnership forward."

White House NSA Jake Sullivan says "US President Joe Biden will be meeting with Prime Minister Modi and it will be an opportunity to follow up on Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the United States and we will see meaningful progress on a number of issues, including the GE jet engine issue, the MQ-9 Reapers, on 5G/6G, on collaboration on critical and emerging technologies, and progress also in the civil nuclear area as well. We will mark all of that progress when the two of them meet tomorrow, which shows the breadth of the relationship between our countries. President Biden will also speak on critical, fundamental values that the United States stands for, as he does in all of his engagements. And then, he’ll look forward to seeing a number of other leaders on the margins of the G20 over the weekend before we head off to Vietnam."

As the G20 Summit unfolds at Bharat Mandapam, a multitude of exhibitions are taking shape to spotlight India's technological excellence and innovation. Among the highlights is the 'Culture Corridor - G20 Digital Museum,' an exceptional international project set to be featured at Bharat Mandapam. Delegates will also be introduced to the UPI One World platform, where their wallets will be preloaded with ₹2000, granting them flexibility in its utilization. Additionally, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is poised to present cutting-edge financial technologies at the G20 Summit, highlighting their potential to usher in a transformative era in the financial sector.

“It was country's fortune that Narendra Modi was the PM when India got the G20 presidency. Never before the G20 Summit was held in such a grand scale as we are hosting it. We have showcased our cultural heritage and also technological prowess with the success of Chandrayaan (mission),” Union MoS Prahlad Singh Patel.

German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann says, "...We wholeheartedly support this Indian endeavour to get the new member at the table in the form of the African Union. That will be the second big Union of countries, next to the European Union. We are completely in favour of it."

First Vice-President of Spain and Minister for the Economy & Digital Transformation Nadia Calviño arrives in Delhi.

German Ambassador Philipp Ackermann says, "...This is the peak of a very successful and extremely impressive presidency. India has been like no other president before...It has elevated the G 20 to the next level I think. 500 meetings all over India...My respect and admiration go out to the Indian protocols, to the Indian Sherpa, team, Amitabh Kant and the Indian Govt. I think they did a brilliant job. They did this job in a very difficult time. This is maybe politically the most difficult G 20 presidency...We will see what happens during the weekend. We hope and are very confident that the Indian side will come up with a statement that will be at least consented to by most of the G 20 States..."