G20 Summit: PM Modi, President Biden to engage in bilateral talks today

US President Joe Biden is expected to arrive in New Delhi at 7 pm on Friday, September 8, as the national capital is all set to host the 2023 G20 Summit amid heavy preparations and tight security. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will engage in bilateral talks with Biden after the arrival of the US President for the G20 Summit.

In the meeting, the leaders may discuss the agenda of the G20 leaders’ summit. The duo may also talk about major issues facing the world economy, such as clean energy, reforms for multilateral development banks (MDBs), and the ongoing war in Europe.

PM Modi and the President are also expected to discuss the progress of the GE jet engines deal, which includes the potential joint production of GE Aerospace's F414 engines in India which will be used to power Tejas fighter jets. The two sides recently announced the setting up of US consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad, and an Indian consulate in Seattle.

PM Modi and the US President may also discuss areas such as innovation in semiconductor chips, and talk about a commercial agreement for space technology.

Another major area of discussion between the two could be the easier availability of visas for Indian students.

PM Modi is also scheduled to engage in a bilateral meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday. Both are expected to talk about issues surrounding the Teesta water-sharing agreement. Both countries had reached an agreement on this issue in 2011 but a deal is yet to be signed.

The two-day event, scheduled to be held in New Delhi on September 9 and 10, will see a host of world leaders.

The G20 Summit is an event held annually, under the leadership of a rotating Presidency.

For the G20 Summit 2023, the presidency of the bloc is with India. This marks the first time that the G20 Summit is taking place under India's presidency, which began on December 1, 2022, and lasts till November 30, 2023.

The Group of 20 is a club of countries, which account for 85 per cent of the world's economic output and more than three-fourths of world trade, and contain two-thirds of global population.

Founded in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis as a forum for finance ministers and central bank governors to discuss global economic and financial issues, the Group of Twenty, or G20, is the premier forum for international economic cooperation.