Get Set for G20 Presidency

If nothing else, COVID-19 has surely taught us the meaning of ‘United we stand, divided we fall’. One of the key united fronts of major economies of current times is G20, whose members account for more than 80% of world GDP, 75% of global trade, and 60% of the global population. The Group of G20 comprises of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Kingdoms, Germany, Mexico, Turkey and European Union. India will be holding the G20 Presidency from 01 December 2022 to 30 November 2023, during which it will host the G20 Summit, first such occasion for India.

Union Cabinet has given a green signal for setting up of a G20 Secretariat and its reporting structure has been laid out. The Secretariat will be responsible for the implementation of overall policy decisions and arrangements needed for steering India’s forthcoming G20 Presidency. Its stated objective is to handle work relating to substantive/knowledge/content, technical, media, security and logistical aspects of India’s G20 Presidency.

During the 16th G20 Summit in Italy, India showcased how the country’s goal is in line with global progress. Addressing the G20 Summit in Italy, PM Modi spoke about India’s One Earth One Health vision hailing it as Pharmacy of the World. While highlighting India’s COVID-19 Vaccination journey, PM Modi sheds light on how India sets the new standard of diplomacy during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in the medical diplomacy field that covered at least 150 countries. During the summit, PM Modi also invited the G20 partners for supply chain diversification and global recovery from pandemic. India is currently working closely with Indonesia and Italy (a part of Troika Member)- the current, previous and incoming G20 Presidencies, to ensure consistency and continuity of the G20’s agenda.

Set up in the year 1999, to discuss global economic and financial issues, after the Asian financial crisis that wreaked havoc on economies in the region and leading to spill-over effect, G20 has become a major international forum. India being a founding member of G20 since its inception in 1999 emerged as a crucial partner for proposing new ideas and finding solutions for crucial issues. Hosting the Presidency during ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ makes it even more important. The democratic ethos of India and its philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ as demonstrated by ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ and Vaccine Maitri, are soothing sights to a world struggling with divisiveness and havoc of pandemic.

Independent interdependent India-South Korea

15th August is the most important date in India, as it celebrates Independence Day. So is true for South Korea! In 1945, on 15th August, Korea was liberated from its occupation by Japan and, exactly three years later, on August 15, 1948, the Republic of Korea was officially established, making the date celebratory as National Liberation Day of Korea or Korean Independence Day. This is not the only connection between the two countries. According to records, the history of India-South Korea ties dates back to 48 AD when an Indian princess ‘Suriratna’ from Ayodhya married King Kim-Suro, and became Queen Hur Hwang-ok. “In the golden age of Asia, Korea was one of its lamp bearers, and that lamp is waiting to be lit once again for the illumination of the East”, Rabindranath Tagore once said in his evocative poem ‘Lamp of the East’.

India already stands as S.Korea’s seventh-largest exports market. India is also one of the top priorities in South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s New Southern Policy which oscillates in tandem with PM Modi’s emphasis on India’s Act East Policy. South Korea’s technological competence & capital base has, in recent years, been able to strike a good match with India’s lucrative market potential and ever-expanding consumer base.

In line with the common vision for cooperation and growth, both the country had signed six MOUs and bilateral agreements during the S.Korean leader’s visit to India in 2018. To further ease business issues, the government of India has established a Korea Plus initiative to facilitate numerous business queries. Reciprocating on similar lines, the South Korean government is setting up strategy groups & centres for promoting research and cooperation between the two countries. The Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency is also spreading its work in India.

Further, many popular S.Korean brands are already on an expansion mode in India, with many of them becoming a household name in India – from a Samsung mobile phone, a Hyundai vehicle to an LG home device. Electronics giant Samsung’s Phone factory in Noida is the world’s largest mobile phone factory. Also, Samsung and LG Electronics have established their largest R&D facilities in Bangalore, outside Korea. Hyundai’s R&D centre in Hyderabad is one of its five global hubs (others being in Korea, the US, China & Germany). While LG plans to create export hubs in India, Hyundai Motors had announced its aim to further its manufacturing capability here. Other companies include the ‘Lotte Group’, which has lined up $3 – 5 Bon in potential India investment in the next five years. Kia Motors is planning to invest around $2 bn to build a facility in Andhra Pradesh.

US-China Trade war made major South Korean exporters (Samsung and Hyundai) face grand losses. South Korean companies have to move manufacturing outside China as it is becoming increasingly challenging due to its recent imposition of economic sanctions on South Korea. Thus, countries like India, which offer less complex business and investment framework and cheaper labour, are no less than a natural destination for South Korea to strengthen its economic portfolio and cut down its dependence on its two traditional trade allies i.e. US & China.

Central Asia and New India


In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic visit to Central Asian countries paved way to high-level exchanges at bilateral and multilateral forums resulting into ‘India-Central Asia Summit’ hosted by PM Modi with the participation of the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, in a virtual format. Among other things, leaders are also expected to discuss the evolving regional security situation. The participation of the Secretaries of National Security Councils of Central Asian countries in the Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan held in New Delhi on 10 November 2021 also outlined a common regional approach to Afghanistan.

Kazakhstan is India’s largest trading partner in Central Asia. Trade turnover in 2019 amounted to $ 1.9 billion, which is 46% higher than previous year. Further, about 700 legal entities and branches with the participation of Indian capital are registered in Kazakhstan. Surrounded by the Caspian Sea in the west to Russia in the North and China in the East, Kazakhstan the largest country in Central Asia and the ninth largest country in the world holds great significance to India especially in terms of energy resources and its economic potential and also due to its geo-strategic location. Kazakhstan is the world’s largest producer of Uranium and meets nearly 80 percent of India’s uranium requirement.

Total trade turnover between India and Uzbekistan has grown in the year 2020 stands to $442.7mn as against $355.5mn in 2019 and $286.5mn in the year 2018.

The major items of India’s exports include pharmaceutical products, mechanical equipment, vehicle parts, services, optical instruments, and equipment. While, India’s imports from Uzbekistan consist largely of fruit and vegetable products, services, fertilizers, juice products and extracts, and lubricants.The Bilateral Investment Treaty is under negotiation between both countries.

Following the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992 with Kyrgyzstan, the two countries have signed several framework agreements including on Culture, Trade and Economic Cooperation, Civil Aviation, Investment Promotion, and Protection, Avoidance of Double Taxation, Consular Convention, etc. and share common concerns on the threat of terrorism, radicalism, and drug trafficking. Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) natural gas pipeline project forms a key pillar of economic engagement between India and Turkmenistan. India-Tajikistan relations have traditionally been close and cordial. Tajikistan expressed support for India’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the term 2021-22. Tajikistan has publicly supported India’s bid for UN Security Council permanent membership and was a staunch supporter of India’s SCO membership.

India and Central Asia share longstanding historical, cultural, political, and economic relations. At ministerial level meetings, to improve trade relations, India has called for a focus on 4 Cs: Commerce, Capacity enhancement, Connectivity and Contacts. India has welcomed the interest of Central Asian countries to utilize the services of Shahid Beheshti Terminal at Chabahar Port for facilitating their trade with India and beyond. Continued meaningful engagement with “Extended Neighbourhood” in Central Asia is of vital importance and New India seems to have been hitting the right notes.

 

New India at World Stage

India has surely leapt into the front-row seat in post Covid world order due to its large scale implementation capabilities demonstrated in handling the pandemic while considering welfare of all at home with Sabka Saath and abroad with Vaccine Maitri. Achieving this in a democratic setup is indeed wonderful news for all poor and needy across the globe. This has not been accidental when one looks at the Ethos of Atmanirbhar Bharat, a mass movement, which is deeply rooted in the values of this young nation.

Framers of the Indian Constitution have set forth an enormous and unique challenge of simultaneously completing India’s triple transition across social, political and economic fields. India is one rare country of this size and complexity which has taken on this challenge of getting on to the three transitions together.

The inherent power of owning up to this arduous task seems to have stemmed from the rare surviving ancient culture of the land of this young nation. Energy of youth and availability of a belief system of timeless wisdom!

“We shall frame the Constitution, and I hope it will be a good constitution, but does anyone in this House imagine that, when a free India emerges, it will be bound down by anything that even this House might lay down for it? A free India will see the bursting forth of the energy of a mighty nation.…May this Resolution bear fruit and may the time come when in the words of this Resolution, this ancient land attains its rightful and honoured place in the world and makes its full and willing contribution to the promotion of world peace and the welfare of mankind.” Pd Jawahar Nehru spoke these words on 22 Jan 1947 during the closing of the debate on Resolution of the Constitution, representing the Constituent Assembly.

As Leadership in India looks to the next 25 years with a Vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, every interaction at global stage is going to be closely monitored world over.

Peacekeeping, Maritime Security & Counter-terrorism

The world order has experienced a tectonic shift in last two years. COVID-19 pandemic has already shaken the global disposition. Exacerbated situations and political unrest in nations like Myanmar, Afghanistan, Israel, Sudan, Ethiopia, Lebanon, and many others lately, have left the world to realize there is a need to strengthen and restructure multilateral institutions across the globe. India has long been of the view that the structure of the United Nations Security Council fails to fit into the actualities of the 21st century and is in need of an immediate reform.

This very concern of India makes its present two-year tenure at the security council even more crucial, a year of which has already gone by. India’s entry into the Security Council as non-permanent member (from 2021) happened in a post-covid era, and coincided with systemic uncertainty, political polarization, absence of global leadership, and climacteric environmental concerns. In such a scenario, picking the three domains of peacekeeping, maritime security, and counter-terrorism as agenda items, can be considered a good start. But New Delhi, which has for so long been seeking acquirement of a permanent seat at the high table, also had to demonstrate its capability of bringing an unprecedented and effective global change. This got manifested with the rollout of India’s ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative under which it has supplied 1154.17 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines around the world (commercial + COVAX).

India’s sitting at the council is also significant as far as Beijing is concerned as the membership stays as a key with India to keep a check on further Chinese incursions along the LAC. China, one of the five permanent nation at UNSC, had opposed India’s candidature to chair the 2022 Counter-Terrorism Committee. Despite, Beijing’s disagreement, India is chairing the Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee today (effective for one year, starting January 01, 2022). “As the chair for CTC for 2022, India will make determined efforts to further enhance the role of CTC in strengthening the multilateral response to counter-terrorism, and more importantly, ensuring that the global response to the threat of terrorism remains unambiguous, undivided and effective,” stated India in its explanation of its vote.

On 31st August, 2021, India had completed its ‘critical’ one-month-long rotating presidency of UNSC, which kept New Delhi busy throughout the month. All the focus had gone into countering the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan & Taliban’s rapid military advance to power. “The UN Security Council passed a resolution on Monday that calls for the Taliban to facilitate safe passage for people wanting to leave Afghanistan, allow humanitarians to access the country, and uphold human rights, including for women and children,” read the August 30 resolution on Afghanistan, that was passed by the council under India’s presidency.

As India begins the 2nd year of its tenure at UNSC, and as a potential third wave awaits the attention of the government within the country, carrying out both national and international discretions is going to be a tough row to hoe.

Indian Science : CoVID and Beyond

Pandemic has brought world’s attention to India’s capabilities in R&D as well as gigantic implementations. India seems to be on an inventing spree. Not just CoVID vaccines but many more scientific collaborations and discoveries are taking place in research departments, and various scientific institutions across the country. The splendid pace at which the work is carried out, combined with the unicity of ideas and innovations, is making India shine globally as a scientific exploration marvel.

In a bid to inculcate new technology in the ecosystem and to make India – aatmanirbhar – a self-reliant nation in power transistor technology, Indian scientists and researchers very recently developed a device which will be useful in space and defense applications requiring high voltage and high-frequency switching. The device, which is made from Aluminium gallium nitride, is called High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs). In yet another recent discovery, a new exoplanet i.e. a planet outside our solar system was discovered by Indian Space scientists. The study, carried out at Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, found the exoplanet’s mass to be 70% and size about 1.4 times that of Jupiter. This exoplanet is orbiting too close to an evolved or ageing star with a mass of 1.5 times that of the Sun and is located 725 light-years away. According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the detection of such a system contributes in enhancing the present understanding of various scientific mechanisms.

India is even embarking on space diplomacy like never before. ISRO is set to launch a Bhutanese satellite, which has been built by Bhutanese engineers that were trained by ISRO. “This is India’s gift to Bhutan as part of the space diplomacy initiatives put in place by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We’re helping their personnel to build the nano satellite which will be used for imaging purposes. It will be launched on the PSLV carrying EOS-6. The mission will also launch the Pixxel satellite, ” ISRO Chief K Sivan had remarked. Similarly, at COP 26 (held at Glasgow, Scotland), Prime Minster Narendra Modi announced a special data window for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to be built by ISRO. With this, SIDS will continue to receive timely information about cyclones, coral-reef monitoring, coastline monitoring, etc. via satellite. “No one has remained untouched by the wrath of climate change,” PM Modi had said while launching the initiative.

Moreover, continuous efforts have also been made to develop and enhance scientific temper among students, scholars and young researchers. The recent launch of the first-of-its-kind Virtual Science Lab for children under the CSIR Jigyasa program exemplifies this. The initiative will connect students with scientists across the country.