Ahead of the G20 conference in New Delhi next month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanded on Sunday that the African Union be admitted as a member and positioned his nation as the answer to supply chain problems.
Only South Africa is a member of the Group of 20 major economies, which includes 19 nations and the European Union (EU), accounting for over 85% of the world’s GDP and two-thirds of its people.
In December, US President Joe Biden stated he wanted the African Union “to join the G20 as a permanent member,” adding that it had “been a long time coming, but it’s going to come.”
The pan-African group, which had a combined GDP of $3 trillion last year, was also asked for inclusion by Modi, the G20’s current host, on Sunday.
Ahead of the September 9–10 G20 summit, Modi stated at the B20 business event, “We have invited the African Union with a vision to give permanent membership.”
The AU has 55 members at full strength, but five junta-ruled countries are now suspended. The AU is headquartered in the Ethiopian capital Addis Abeba.
In addition, Modi asserted that India was the “solution” to rebuilding a “efficient and trusted global supply chain” after the interruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. New Delhi is attempting to catch up to China in terms of manufacturing.
According to Modi, “the world cannot view the global supply chain as before” because of how much has changed between before and after COVID-19.
Because of this, I want to reassure everyone that India is the answer to this issue at hand while the globe struggles with it.
Following a violent Himalayan border conflict in 2020 that claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese soldiers, ties between the two most populous countries in the world deteriorated.
On Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met for the first time in person outside of a summit. Beijing claimed the two leaders had “candid and in-depth” discussions to defuse tensions along their disputed border.
