India emerges as Voice of Global South in China-fearing World

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 50th G7 summit on June 14, 2024, in the city of Fasano in Apulia, Italy. The region of Apulia, throughout its history, has been inhabited by Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Normans, and Spanish. The region has also served as a bridge between the West and the East, thanks to its geography. Apulia’s rich history as a cultural crossroads underscores the significance of this year’s G7 summit, which brings together diverse global leaders.

In this summit, along with the G7 countries, the other invitees were India, the African Union, Brazil, the UAE, Argentina, and others, making the location and the purpose of the summit significant. India took centre stage during the summit, and the family photograph taken post-summit is a testament to it.

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Two years ago, India was invited to the 48th G7 summit in 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The primary narrative at that time was to punish India for keeping the ties intact with Moscow. The Western ‘experts’, who are habituated to see things in binary, refused to believe that India can have ties with the G7 without harming relations with Russia. As per the Financial Times, the reason behind the invitation to India at the summit was “to woo New Delhi away from its longstanding alliance with Russia”. Two years down the line, India’s relations are not majorly harmed, neither with Russia nor with the G7 countries!

Freshly re-elected, PM Modi’s attendance at the G7 summit signals a robust continuation of his administration’s foreign policy initiatives, particularly his advocacy for the Global South. In 2023, New Delhi organised the two Voice of Global South Summits, first in January and next in November, to understand the concerns of the developing countries. The words and advocacy of Modi in Apulia should be taken as a continuation of this.

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Modi exploited the opportunities provided to put forward these concerns. “India has considered it its responsibility to place the priorities and concerns of the countries of the Global South on the world stage,” he said. At the same time, while putting forward his vision of a developed India in 2047, he emphasised that “no section of society should be left behind in the country’s development journey," followed by applying this “in the context of international relations. The countries of the Global South are bearing the brunt of global uncertainties and tensions”. Then, Modi put forward the concern of ending monopolies in technology, one of the points of action at the end of the second Voice of the Global South Summit.

On the sidelines of the G7 meeting, PM Modi also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, Modi skipped the Ukraine Peace Summit, organised just after the G7 meeting, by sending a secretary-level delegation. The Indian delegation visited the summit but didn’t sign the Joint Communique. This reflects a nuanced stance on the conflict, aligning with the broader Global South’s cautious approach.

India’s significant presence at the G7 summit, coupled with PM Modi’s diplomacy, marks a pivotal moment in its global engagement. By advocating for the Global South in the G7, India continued efforts to emerge as a leader of developing nations in a China-fearing world.

The author is an independent columnist who writes on international relations and socio-political affairs. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.