UAE President looks forward to positive talks on climate, economic growth at G20

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived on Friday in the Republic of India on a working visit to attend the 18th Group of 20 (G20) Summit in which the UAE is participating as a guest of honour.

At the summit, held under the theme "One Earth, One Family, One Future” in the city of New Delhi, the high-level UAE delegation led by Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed will engage in constructive dialogue with international partners to achieve collective progress on issues ranging from sustainable development, climate action, and balanced economic growth, among others.

The UAE delegation comprises Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan; Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Advisor for Special Affairs at the Ministry of Presidential Court; Ali Bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for National Security; Reem Bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation; Dr. Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology; Mohamed Hassan Al Suwaidi, Minister of Investment; Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, Minister of State; Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority and Member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council; Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa Al Hammadi, Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport in Abu Dhabi; Faisal Al Bannai, Secretary-General of the Advanced Technology Research Council; and Dr. Abdul Nasser Al Shaali, UAE Ambassador to India.

Narendra Modi shakes hands with Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the G20 Summit in Delhi. Reuters

US President Joe Biden and other G20 leaders gathered in the national capital New Delhi for their annual summit, as deep divisions between heavyweight members and a no-show by China's Xi Jinping called the bloc's relevance into question.

With India's capital spruced up and partly emptied of people for the occasion, the host scrambled for last-minute agreement on vexed issues including the Ukraine war, climate and global governance.

Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke for nearly an hour on Friday about joint plans on technology, infrastructure and the importance of a healthy democracy, shortly after Biden arrived in New Delhi.

The two leaders pledged to cooperate on issues from democratic values and human rights to semiconductor supply chains and quantum computing, according to a joint statement.

"We're frankly thrilled to be here. It's great to see the Indians so appreciative that we've come," Kurt Campbell, the senior US official for Indo-Pacific policy, told reporters after the discussions.

The leaders were working on a "major breakthrough" related to infrastructure and communications that would link India with the Middle East and Europe, that could be announced on Saturday, Campbell said.

The US, India, and Gulf countries have been talking about a sweeping new rail and ports network to link the regions, a counterpoint to China's 'Belt and Road' global infrastructure plans.

Modi welcomes Mohammed Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. Reuters

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned leaders that their ongoing squabbles risked stoking conflict and corroding public trust.

"If we are indeed one global family — we today resemble a rather dysfunctional one", Guterres told reporters in New Delhi.

Even before it began, the importance of the G20 summit was called into question when China's Xi decided to skip the meeting and send his number two, Premier Li Qiang instead.

No official reason was given for Xi's absence, but the Asian giants have been at loggerheads over a border dispute and other issues, while Beijing is seeking to make US-led groupings such as the G20 more amenable to its own interests.

Guterres insisted countries must assume responsibility regardless of "whether it's the president or the prime minister or the vice president that comes" to New Delhi.
But a failure of G20 leaders to agree a joint summit statement, a once routine diplomatic affair, would be a major embarrassment for the host.

Modi has painted the summit as his country's diplomatic coming of age -- evidence of New Delhi's clout and prestige on the global stage.
The Indian leader, sensing an opportunity to burnish his credentials as a statesman ahead of a re-election tilt early next year, has also thrust himself front and centre of proceedings.