G20 Summit: Trump Skips, Modi Heads For Talks — What It Means For India's Agenda?
PM Modi on Friday departed for Johannesburg, South Africa, to participate in the 20th G20 Leaders' Summit. This is the first time a G20 summit is being held in Africa.
The upcoming G20 Summit, scheduled to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, this weekend, has been mired in controversy over United States President Donald Trump’s refusal to attend it. Even as the US President has announced to skip the annual event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other world leaders from the 20 biggest economies will gather in the African nation to discuss key global issues.
On Nov. 7, Trump announced that no US officials would attend this year’s Group of 20 summit in South Africa. He cited concerns over the country’s treatment of white farmers under President Cyril Ramaphosa. Vice President JD Vance, earlier scheduled to represent the US, will also not be participating in the event. South Africa has denied the "surprising" allegations.
Meanwhile, PM Modi on Friday departed to participate in the 20th G20 Leaders' Summit. This is the first time that a G20 summit is being hosted by an African nation.
“Will be attending the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. This is a particularly special Summit as it is being held in Africa. Various global issues will be discussed there. Will be meeting various world leaders during the Summit,” PM Modi said in a statement on X.
Why PM Modi’s Attendance Matters?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to speak at all three sessions of the upcoming summit, focusing on climate change impact, critical minerals and the rise of artificial intelligence. Notably, PM Modi had skipped the last two multilateral events attended by President Trump. These include the ASEAN summit in Malaysia and Trump’s Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt. This fuelled speculation that Modi was avoiding a meeting with Trump until the India-US trade deal was finalised.
Negotiations between New Delhi and Washington continue, even as countries like Japan and South Korea have secured deals with the US. Indian officials have told Reuters that they won’t rush to sign an agreement as the overall economic impact of tariffs remains limited.
India At G20
PM Modi will speak during all three key sessions at the summit, set to be held on Nov. 22-23. This includes ‘Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth Leaving No One Behind’, covering topics like building economies, trade, development financing, and debt. The second session is titled - ‘A Resilient World - the G20’s Contribution’, focusing on disaster risk reduction, climate change, just energy transitions and food systems; and the third session will focus on ‘A Fair and Just Future for All’, addressing critical minerals, decent work and artificial intelligence.
Additionally, PM Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with leaders of partner nations on the sidelines of the summit. He will attend the 6th IBSA Summit, also scheduled alongside the G20 Summit. The Prime Minister will also meet the Indian diaspora in South Africa.
