Prime Minister to leave for Malaysia

Modi, who had yesterday met Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as well as Donald Tusk, President of the European Council and Jean Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, winds down, also met South Korean President Park Geun-hye today. “Their achievements in urban development, urban transport, waste management, development of ports and skill development are well known”, he said.

Post that PM Narendra Modi spoke at the G20 Working Session on the topic global economy and enhancing resilience. “He sought Turkey’s support for India’s membership for four export control regime”, foreign office spokesperson Vikas Swarup told reporters here.

Referring to bilateral ties with Malaysia, Modi said that since 2010, India has a strategic partnership with the country whose investments, including in various infrastructure projects, are strong in India.

He said the G-20 can play an effective role in supporting the multilateral goals of increasing research and development to develop affordable renewable energy.

Singapore, on the other hand, is also pushing other members of the ASEAN, such as Indonesia, Cambodia and the Philippines, to expedite the ratification process of the India-ASEAN services trade pact. But the Labour government’s legacy for India is very complex and Cameron’s government needed great diplomatic finesse to manage the challenges.

Modi was addressing thousands of people, nearly all of Indian origin, at a Grand Community reception in his honour at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium, home to rock concerts and England’s national soccer team, during his three-day visit to the UK.

Singapore’s Surbana Jurong urban planning group designed the masterplan for the construction of a new smart city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh called Amaravati, which will become the new capital city of that state. Forming alliances and improving trade relations between the two countries has the potential to benefit their economies and businesses alike. What does this mean? This is related to its failure to view Asia beyond economics and trade. Oddly though, there was no reference to the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), responsible for the 2001 attack on the Indian parliament, or the Dawood company, both of which had been mentioned in an India-US joint statement in September 2015. The prime ministerial visits overseas need to be more substantial and not preoccupied with style and showmanship. “Robust India-ASEAN ties will give great impetus to our collective dream of making this century an “Asian Century”, Modi said. However, as India develops and undertakes huge economic and corporate reform, exciting investment opportunities could present themselves, although a long-term horizon is essential.

Rajiv Biswas is Asia-Pacific Chief Economist at IHS, a global information and analytics firm.