G20 Summit reaffirms India as a rising geopolitical power

PM Modi’s diplomacy finally won the world leaders’ overwhelming support for the African Union’s inclusion in the G20, which is being described as a testament to New Delhi’s growing influence.

New Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomacy was once again at its best when he announced the African Union’s (AU) inclusion in the G-20 as a permanent member during his opening address at the Leaders’ Summit of the group here in New Delhi on Saturday. In what won an overwhelming applause and support from the world leaders at the opening session of the G-20 Leaders’ Summit, PM Modi linked it to “the spirit of Sabka Saath”, justifying the theme of the G-20 under India’s historic Presidency—“Vasudhaiva Kutumakam-One Earth, One Family, One Future”.

“It was in the spirit of Sabka Saath that India proposed permanent membership for the African Union in the G-20. I believe that we all agree on this proposal,” PM Modi said amid thunderous applause at Bharat Mandapam, the venue of the summit. In PM Modi’s invitation to the Chairperson of the AU to take the place as a permanent member of the G20, there was a clear message that India does not only speak about the need to address the interests of developing nations but it also translates it into action. “PM Modi has set an example of how to give voice to the developing nations on such significant global platforms. Now countries like the US, France, China, Germany, the UK, etc. should follow it in terms of fulfilling the aspirations of these nations. This is the message that the Indian prime minister has sought to send out to the western and other countries,” a diplomatic official told The Sunday Guardian. The official added, “Since well begun is half done, the beginning itself has been quite positive due to PM Modi’s outstanding diplomatic efforts and skills. Now the end of the summit will also be well. Let’s hope a joint declaration on a positive note acceptable to all stakeholders will be there.”

According to sources, Prime Minister Modi has been leading from the front on the issue of the African Union’s membership of the G20. “In June, PM Modi wrote to the G-20 leaders pitching for granting full membership of the grouping to the AU at the New Delhi summit,” an official here said. PM Modi himself spoke to several G-20 leaders over phone and during bilateral meetings seeking their consent for the same, officials added. On different occasions in the past, he succeeded in persuading the leaders such as the US President Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin, UK PM Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, Japan PM Fumio Kishida, etc. to support the proposal, sources said. During interactions with them, Modi’s point used to be that no plan for the future of the planet can be successful without the representation and recognition of all voices, sources added. As a result of Modi’s consistent efforts, the proposal was formally included in the draft communique for the summit during the third G20 Sherpas meeting at Hampi in Karnataka. This meeting took place in the month of July this year. The US strongly supported the inclusion of AU in G20, officials said. During Friday’s bilateral meeting, Joe Biden also backed India’s claim for a permanent seat in the UNSC. Biden assured India of Washington’s support on this while thanking PM Modi for taking a significant step to include AU in the G20, sources said.
India’s diplomatic triumph on the first day of the summit left China in a state of nervousness, with the Communist government in Beijing asking its foreign office to build a narrative that President Xi Jinping was the first to extend support for AU’s inclusion in the G20, diplomats who deal with Chinese matters told The Sunday Guardian. In what betrayed the nervousness in power corridors of Beijing only, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning in a hurriedly convened briefing told the media that China was the first country to explicitly support the inclusion of the African bloc in the grouping. Diplomats here contest Chinese claims, saying that Beijing delayed its response to the proposal. Now, it is rattled by the development that might pave the way for India coming much closer to the African countries, officials said, adding that Beijing is always eyeing to expand its footprints in African countries, given their strategic importance.

The global leaders who have come to New Delhi to attend the summit have reaffirmed India as a significant global voice which can play a bigger global role in the emerging new

world order, an official who was privy to bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit told this newspaper. “PM Modi has already set the stage for India to play a bigger role at the global stage. India can play the role of a bridge in reducing the trust deficit that PM referred to,” a source said. PM Modi said, “After Covid-19, a huge crisis of lack of trust has come in the world. Conflict has deepened this trust deficit. Just as we can overcome Covid, we can also overcome this crisis of mutual trust.” “Today, as the President of the G-20, India invites the entire world to come together and, first and foremost, transform this Global Trust Deficit into global trust and confidence,” Modi emphatically said. India’s confidence was clearly experienced by the leaders at the summit, and they acknowledged the same during private conversations as well. This confidence comes from the strength of India’s economic growth, the success of its lunar mission, its growing demographic and global power, etc., officials said.  “World powers consider India as indispensable to ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific. PM Modi’s effective steps during various global crises have given the world leaders reason to trust New Delhi’s capabilities,” an official said. PM Modi’s observations are important in this regard, as he said, “The 21st century is an important time to show the world a new direction. This is the time when old problems are seeking new solutions from us and that is why we should move ahead fulfilling our responsibilities with a human-centric approach…If we can defeat Covid-19, we can also triumph over the trust deficit caused by the war.” He also added that “This is the time for all of us to move together. In this time, the mantra of ‹Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas› can be the torch bearer for us. Be it the divide between North and South, the distance between East and West, management of food and fuel, terrorism, cyber security, health, energy or water security, we will have to find a solid solution to this for future generations.» PM Modi said India›s G20 presidency has become a symbol of inclusion both inside and outside the country. Meanwhile, in a strong message amid the Bharat vs India row, the name plate in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he opened the G20 Summit read “Bharat”.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s statement also assumes significance in this context. He said, “G20 has been a huge success for India. India is the right country at the right time to be hosting this. I feel we are going to have a very good couple of days of deliberations and decisions made.”