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On the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a series of high-level bilateral meetings on Sunday, resulting in significant agreements to deepen cooperation with Canada, Italy, Japan, and host nation South Africa across trade, investment, technology, defence, and counter-terrorism.

India-Canada Relations See Major Boost

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed to significantly expand bilateral engagement in multiple sectors, including trade, investment, technology, innovation, energy, and education.

The two leaders set an ambitious target of $50 billion in bilateral trade by 2030. Current bilateral trade stands at approximately $30 billion.

“We appreciated the significant momentum in our bilateral ties since our earlier meeting held during the G7 Summit hosted by Canada. We agreed to further advance our relations in the coming months, particularly in trade, investment, technology and innovation, energy and education,” Prime Minister Modi said following the meeting.

He highlighted strong potential for trade and investment linkages, noting that Canadian Pension Funds are showing keen interest in Indian companies. “We also agreed to unlock the potential for deeper cooperation in defence and space sectors and meet again in the near future,” Modi added.

 

The meeting followed the announcement of a new trilateral technology and innovation partnership between India, Australia, and Canada. The leaders welcomed the adoption of the Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation (ACITI) partnership.

According to a statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), “The leaders agreed to begin negotiations on a high ambition Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).”

 

The developments mark a clear warming of India-Canada ties after Mark Carney assumed office as Canadian Prime Minister earlier this year.

India and Italy Launch Joint Initiative Against Terror Financing

In a separate bilateral engagement, Prime Minister Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni agreed to intensify cooperation in trade, investment, defence, innovation, artificial intelligence, space, and education.

A major outcome was the announcement of a new joint initiative to combat the financing of terrorism.

“The India-Italy Strategic Partnership is growing from strength to strength, greatly benefitting the people of our nations. India and Italy are announcing a joint initiative for cooperation in combating the financing of terrorism. This is a necessary and timely effort, which will strengthen humanity’s fight against terrorism and its support networks,” Prime Minister Modi said.

Prime Minister Meloni expressed solidarity with India following a recent terror incident in Delhi and reiterated Italy’s firm commitment to jointly counter terrorism.

Both leaders formally adopted the ‘India-Italy Joint Initiative to Counter Financing of Terrorism’. The initiative seeks to enhance bilateral collaboration on counter-terrorism and strengthen joint efforts in multilateral forums, including the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF), the MEA stated.

India-Japan Partnership Gains Further Momentum

Prime Minister Modi also held talks with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, focusing on accelerating cooperation in innovation, defence, and talent mobility, while exploring new avenues to boost trade.

“We are also looking to enhance trade ties between our nations. A strong India-Japan partnership is vital for a better planet,” Modi said.

The leaders agreed to deepen collaboration in strategic areas such as defence, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, critical minerals, technology, and innovation. The MEA emphasised that “the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership is anchored in our shared values, mutual trust and goodwill.”

India and South Africa Reaffirm Commitment to Global South Agenda

During talks with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the two leaders pledged to amplify the voice of the Global South and reviewed progress across multiple domains of bilateral cooperation. They expressed satisfaction with advances in trade and investment, food security, skill development, mining, youth exchange, and people-to-people ties.

“They discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the fields of AI, digital public infrastructure and critical minerals,” the MEA said. The leaders welcomed the expanding footprint of Indian companies in South Africa and committed to facilitating mutual investments, particularly in infrastructure, technology, innovation, mining, and the start-up ecosystem.

“We reviewed the full range of the India-South Africa partnership, especially in boosting linkages of commerce, culture, investment and diversifying cooperation in technology, skilling, AI, critical minerals and more,” Prime Minister Modi stated.

Modi thanked President Ramaphosa for successfully hosting the Summit and praised South Africa’s G20 presidency for building on outcomes from India’s 2023 New Delhi Summit.

 

Also Read: G20 leaders seek greater representation in world affairs

 

G20 Outcomes Reflect India’s Priorities

Several key Indian priorities—including the fight against terrorism, increased climate finance, and addressing concerns of the Global South—found prominent mention in the G20 South Africa Summit Leaders’ Declaration adopted on Saturday, despite the United States boycotting the gathering.

The declaration, unanimously adopted at the start of the Summit rather than at its conclusion as is customary, built on initiatives launched during India’s 2023 G20 presidency.

South Africa’s presidency had identified four priority areas: debt sustainability for low-income countries, mobilising finance for just energy transition, strengthening disaster resilience and response, and harnessing critical minerals for inclusive growth and sustainable development.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Modi also held interactions with International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and World Trade Organisation Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. The series of productive bilateral engagements underscored India’s growing diplomatic and economic influence on the global stage during the Johannesburg G20 Summit.

 

Also Read: PM Modi talks trade, critical minerals with S African President