PM Modi to attend G20 summit despite Trump's boycott, to hold IBSA meeting with Lula, Ramaphosa

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday leave New Delhi for Johannesburg, South Africa, to attend the 20th G20 summit, which President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa will host from Saturday to Sunday, and which President Donald Trump of the United States will boycott.

With India being at the receiving end of the US President’s tariff tirade, the G20 summit will see the prime minister presenting New Delhi’s perspective on inclusive and sustainable economic growth, the role of trade in building economies, financing for development and the debt burden, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Modi will also take part in a meeting of the IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa) with Ramaphosa and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Trump imposed a 50 per cent tariff on imports from India and Brazil to the US, while 30 per cent on South Africa’s exports to his country.

Modi will also speak on “A Resilient World – the G20’s Contribution: Disaster Risk Reduction; Climate Change; Just Energy Transitions; Food Systems” as well as on “A Fair and a Just Future for All: Critical Minerals; Decent Work; Artificial Intelligence”.

Trump decided that no US official would attend the G20 summit in Johannesburg, as white people were being allegedly persecuted in South Africa.

President Xi Jinping will also skip the G20 summit, but Premier Li Qiang will represent China in the conclave. The leaders of Argentina and Mexico will also not attend the summit.

Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with Ramaphosa and some of the other G20 leaders attending the summit in Johannesburg.