The 14^th G20 Summit was recently held in Osaka, Japan on 28^th & 29^th June 2019. The Honorable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, attended the Summit the sixth time. He represented India’s interest on the lines of the theme for this year – Human-centered future society.

India stressed on critical issues related to:

1. Trade, Economic Growth & WTO Reforms
2. Terrorism
3. Energy Security & Financial Stability
4. Digital Economy & Artificial Intelligence
5. 5G & Data Security Concerns
6. Climate Change
7. Defense
8. Corruption & Black Money
9. Return of Economic Fugitives
10. Iran crisis

PM Modi engaged in a series of bi, tri and multilateral talks with various leaders and Heads of State / Government of G20 nations.

What is G20?

G20 or Group of 20 is a summit on the international financial forum that brings together nations and central bank governors on a common global forum. G20 comprises of 19 nations and the European Union. The member countries are - Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.

India’s Presence at the G20 Summit

In his departure statement for G20 Osaka Summit, PM Modi said that India’s focus will be on “Women Empowerment, issues related to digitalization and artificial intelligence, and progress in achieving SDGs and in our common efforts to address major global challenges such as terrorism and climate change form the rich agenda of the Summit.” India made its presence felt at a global level by pressing on burning issues of terrorism and trade and displayed dynamic strategic balance.

In addition to attending four G20 Summit sessions, India participated in various talks and meetings on the sidelines of the G20 Summit 2019:

1. Bilateral Meetings with Heads of States of Nine Countries
   1. Productive discussions with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe discussing defense, digital economy, infrastructure, space, and startups.
   2. The much-talked-about meeting with the American President Donald Trump took place. India iterated its stand on the situation with Iran, trade tariffs, defense, and 5G communication network & data storage.  
   3. Meeting with President Joko Widodo of Indonesia discussing ways to deepen India-Indonesia cooperation in a host of sectors
   4. Meeting with Brazilian President Jair M. Bolsonaro to discuss means to improve business linkages and overcome climate change.
   5. Productive talks were held with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey on building strong development partnership between the two nations.
   6. Meeting with the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison to discuss ways to expand cooperation in a range of sectors.
   7. There were talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia to strengthen bilateral ties between the two nations and discussing energy security.
   8. Meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and discuss ways to enhance trade, economic, and people-to-people relations.
   9. Interaction with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and discussed means to diversify and deepen Indo-German ties in areas like cybersecurity and AI.


2. Eight pull aside meetings with the World Bank, UNSG, Thailand, Vietnam, France, Italy, Singapore, and Chili.


3. Two trilateral talks
   1. Japan – America – India (JAI)
      1. PM Modi met with President Trump and PM Abe
      2. There were discussions on – issues of Indo-Pacific region, connectivity and infrastructure development, peace & security.
   2. Russia – India – China (RIC)
      1. PM Modi met with President Xi from China and President Putin from Russia for an informal RIC summit
      2. The three nations discussed the following – promotion of counter-terrorism, reformed multilateralism, climate change, and international hot-spot issues.


4. One Multilateral talk with the BRICS nations
   1. Leaders of the BRICS nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China, & South Africa met and discussed a series of global issues and concerns.
   2. PM Modi spoke about the need to fight protectionism, tackle unilateralism at global financial organizations like the WTO, counter-terrorism, and the need to ensure energy security.


5. One community event
   1. PM Modi attended a community event and addressed and interacted with the Indians living in Japan.

India’s Role at G20 Summit

1. India emerged as a central player at the G20 Osaka Summit 2019, which brings together leaders of nations who contribute to 85 percent of the world’s GDP.
2. India displayed clarity in its agenda and stand on various issues while holding bilateral and plurilateral talks with other nations.
3. India tried to balance between nations like Russia and America as it was a common element in JAI and RIC.
4. India displayed its concern over issues faced by other developing nations.
5. India took a firm stand on Digital Economy & AI and proposed the 5 'I's – Inclusive, Indigenization, Innovation, Investment in Infrastructure, and International cooperation."

With able leadership and an experienced team of diplomats, India projected itself as – strong and autonomous.

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