US President Joe Biden arrives in New Delhi for G20 Summit, bilateral meet with PM Modi

US President Joe Biden has on Friday arrived in Delhi for the G20 Summit. Biden is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with Modi on Friday itself. During the meeting, the two leaders are likely to review the progress made on the decisions that they took during the prime minister's official state visit to Washington in June.

Biden and Modi are expected to make meaningful advancements on the GE jet engine deal and civil nuclear technology during their bilateral talks, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was cited as saying in a Reuters report. Earlier this year, US General Electric (US GE) announced that it had inked an agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the government's aerospace and defence manufacturing firm, to jointly manufacture engines in India to power fighter jets for the Indian Air Force.

Biden departed from Andrews Air Force Base on Thursday for the 18th G20 Summit to be held at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi on September 9, 10. Before boarding the flight for India, Biden posted on his social media account X, "I'm headed to the G20 – the premier forum for international economic cooperation – focused on making progress on Americans' priorities, delivering for developing nations, and showing our commitment to the G20 as a forum that can deliver."

The US president will follow COVID-19 guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during his visit for the G20 Summit, the White House has said.

First Lady Jill Biden, 72, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. President Biden, 80, was tested for the virus both on Monday and Tuesday but his results were negative.

India is set to make a dash for the goal line at the two-day summit starting Saturday in addressing some of the complex global challenges such as concerns of the Global South, consequences of the Ukraine conflict, gloomy economic scenario, and fostering inclusive growth amid a fragmented geopolitical environment.

The G20 member countries represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade and about two-thirds of the world population.

The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).

With inputs from agencies