India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will steer India's position in two important international triads ― one where it partners with the United States and Japan, and the other where it collaborates with Russia and China ― on the sidelines of the G-20 summit at a time when India has emerged not only as an economic powerhouse but also an alternative to China that is struggling in its trade war with the US
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra is kicking off his packed itinerary on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Buenos Aires with two extremely crucial trilateral meetings with two of the most powerful but opposing axis. The first ever meeting of JAI will be among Japan, America and India. The second one, acronym-ed RIC, would involve Russia, India and China. The second meeting of this trilateral on Friday is taking place after 12 years.
The presence of 'I' or India in both the formations speaks about its growing diplomatic and economic influence. Two important bilateral meetings with Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman and the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres would be held later on Thursday, said sources.
The UN Secretary General has reached out to the Prime Minister for the second time in two months. Both leaders give a lot of importance to the issue of climate change.
This outreach comes just a week before COP24 in Katowice, Poland. While the US, Japan and India form a crucial counterbalance to rising Chinese ambition and its influence in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, the RIC ensures India's working relationships with the two largest powers that challenge the US global supremacy.
The trade war unleashed by the US President Donald Trump on China has also put a sharp focus on India as a safe and lucrative destination for global capital and enterprise in Asia.
Incidentally, India has jumped 23 places in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business ranking this year to 77, and aims to break into the top 50 soon with a slew of reform measures. India is also at the threshold of being among the top five economies of the world.
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