8-9-2023 (SINGAPORE) Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is set to embark on a three-day working visit to New Delhi, India, starting from September 8th, where he will attend the Group of Twenty (G20) summit. The annual gathering, which brings together leaders of the world’s top economies, is being held under the theme of “One Earth, One Family, One Future,” with a focus on promoting inclusive growth and accelerating the achievement of the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.
At the summit, Prime Minister Lee will participate in discussions covering a range of pressing global issues, including rules-based multilateralism, digital public infrastructure, health, energy transitions, and sustainable development. In addition, he will hold bilateral meetings with other leaders on the sidelines of the summit, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced in a statement on Friday.
The G20, which was established in 1999 as a forum to address global economic and financial issues, consists of 19 countries and the European Union, representing approximately 85% of the global gross domestic product and two-thirds of the world’s population. India currently holds the rotating G20 presidency.
The list of leaders attending the summit includes notable figures such as US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will not be in attendance, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese Premier Li Qiang leading their respective country’s delegations instead.
Although Singapore is not a member of the G20, it has been regularly invited to participate in past summits and related meetings, often as the convenor of the Global Governance Group – an informal grouping of 30 small- and medium-sized members of the United Nations.
Prime Minister Lee will be accompanied by a delegation that includes Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, and other senior government officials. During his absence, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will serve as Acting Prime Minister.
