PM Modi to hold talks with Rishi Sunak at G20 Summit today, here's what to expect

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his new UK counterpart Rishi Sunak had briefly met each other for the first time when the G20 Summit opened in Bali on Tuesday

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet his new UK counterpart Rishi Sunak at the G20 Summit in Indonesia's Bali today (November 16, 2022). The two leaders, who briefly met each other for the first time when the Summit opened on Tuesday, are expected to discuss the importance of the Indo-Pacific region to global security and prosperity. A new scheme will also be announced during Modi-Sunak's meeting and will see Britain offer 3,000 places annually to 18–30 year-old degree educated Indians to come to the UK to live and work for up to two years. The scheme will be reciprocal, Sunak's office said and added that India is the first visa-national country to benefit from such a scheme.

"I know first-hand the incredible value of the deep cultural and historic ties we have with India," Sunak, who is of Indian origin and took office as Britain's third prime minister in two months in October, said in a statement.

"I am pleased that even more of India’s brightest young people will now have the opportunity to experience all that life in the UK has to offer – and vice-versa - making our economies and societies richer," he added.

Sunak's office said that the launch of the scheme is a "significant moment" both for our bilateral relationship with India and the UK's wider commitment to forging stronger links with the Indo-Pacific region to strengthen both our economies.

The UK, it said, has more links with India than almost any country in the Indo-Pacific region. Nearly a quarter of all international students in the UK are from India, and Indian investment in the UK supports 95,000 jobs across the UK.

The UK currently is also negotiating a trade deal with India – if agreed it will be the first deal of its kind India has made with a European country. The trade deal would build on the UK-India trading relationship, already worth £24 billion, and allow the UK to seize the opportunities presented by India's growing economy. The two leaders are likely to discuss this deal during their meeting in Bali.

Last month, Sunak, the UK's first PM of Indian descent, had conveyed his hope to finalise the trade agreement during a call with PM Modi.