VISIT OF PM MODI TO SOUTH AFRICA FOR G20 SUMMIT

PM Modi arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 22 November to attend the G20 Summit 2025. He was warmly welcomed upon his arrival at Waterkloof Air Force Base (AFB) in Gauteng. This is the first G20 summit to be held in Africa. The African Union became a member of the G20 during India's presidency in 2023.

At this summit, South Africa, in the first G20 summit held in Africa, released the Leaders' Declaration on the first day, breaking with the tradition of releasing the Declaration at the end of the summit. Other G20 member countries, including China, Russia, France, Germany, Britain, Japan, and Canada, supported the declaration, which called for greater attention to issues affecting mainly poor countries.

The US peace proposal on the Ukraine war became a key topic of discussion at the G20. The proposal included some of Russia's demands, which European countries objected to. They argued that borders cannot be forcibly changed and that the draft was still incomplete. This raises the question of whether the path to ending the Russia-Ukraine war will be easy.

PM MODI ADDRESSED THE G20 SUMMIT

Addressing the G20 summit, PM Modi strongly advocated for reforms to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). He said the trilateral forum of India, Brazil, and South Africa (IBSA) should send a clear message that change in the global body is no longer an option, but an imperative.

At the G20 summit, PM Modi called for a global agreement to prevent the misuse of AI. Additionally, addressing the opening session of the G20 leaders' meeting, PM Modi called for a profound rethinking of global development paradigms. He also proposed a G20 initiative to combat the drug-terrorism nexus and the creation of a global healthcare response team.

PM MODI HELD BILATERAL MEETINGS WITH VARIOUS WORLD LEADERS.

 

PM Modi's meetings and interactions with world leaders were very fruitful and will further strengthen India's bilateral relations with various countries.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa, in Johannesburg on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. Both leaders reviewed bilateral ties and expressed satisfaction at the progress achieved in various fields of cooperation, including 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 leaders welcomed the growing presence of Indian firms in South Africa and agreed to facilitate mutual investments, especially in infrastructure, technology, innovation, mining, and start-up sectors. 

 

The PM met his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney. During the meeting, the two leaders agreed to further ties in areas such as trade, investment, technology, and energy, besides exploring deeper cooperation in the defense and space sectors. India has set a target of $50 billion in trade with Canada by 2030. This was the second meeting between Modi and Carney. The previous meeting was in June on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, during her meeting with PM Modi, expressed solidarity with India over the Red Fort terror attack and reiterated her commitment to work together to combat terrorism.

PM Modi met with Australian PM Albanese and focused on three key areas: defense and security, nuclear energy, and trade. Discussions also took place on education, cultural exchange, and more.

He interacted with Indian-origin tech entrepreneurs and called for further strengthening ties with India. He discussed work being done in areas such as fintech, social media platforms, agriculture, education, healthcare, medical devices, and more.

Apart from this, the Prime Minister met many other world leaders, including Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and his British counterpart Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Modi also spoke to International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.

THE US BOYCOTTED THE TWO-DAY MEETING

The US boycotted a two-day meeting of leaders of wealthy and emerging economies in Johannesburg, citing claims by the Trump administration that South Africa was violently oppressing its white African minority.

 

The United States will hold the G-20 presidency in 2026 and plans to hold the summit at President Donald Trump's golf club in Doral, Florida. But South Africa said the traditional presidency transfer ceremony would likely not take place because the US only wanted to send a diplomatic official from its embassy. This was considered an insult by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“The US is a member of the G-20, and if they want to represent, they can send someone at the right level,” South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said.

THE G-20 IS LOSING ITS DIRECTION

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron questioned the usefulness of the G20, saying the group was losing its direction because member countries were unable to reach consensus on many major issues. He said that peace in Ukraine is impossible without respect for Ukrainians and their sovereignty.

Macron warned that if the world's major nations do not reunite within the G20, the forum will weaken. British Prime Minister Starmer echoed Macron's views, saying the G20 must play a new role to address the challenges the world faces.

Host President Cyril Ramaphosa said the G20 remains crucial for global cooperation, emphasizing that the world's biggest challenges can only be solved through partnership and collaborative efforts.