Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the G20 Summit in China, said terrorism, black money, tax evasion and corruption were top priority issues that need international attention, The Financial Express reported. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Vikas Swarup, said the prime minister referred to terrorism emanating from South Asia as "the primary source of instability and the biggest threat to our society and countries,” at an informal gathering of Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) representatives.
Modi attempted to isolate Pakistan on the issue of terrorism by referring to Islamabad as the "single nation" spreading terror in South Asia, NDTV reported. The issue of terrorism was also part of his bilateral discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull on the first day of the event. However, Beijing's official statement did not include Modi's call for a united front against terrorism. India's concerns over the China-Pakistan economic corridor and India's demand for a Nuclear Suppliers Group membership were raised during Modi's meeting with Xi.
Modi also urged the participating countries to have a policy of zero-tolerance towards graft and black money. Swarup quoted the prime minister in a tweet saying, "G20’s efforts should be towards achieving zero administrative, policy and treaty loopholes, zero barriers and full commitment to action.” Modi proposed destroying the trap of “excessive banking secrecy.”
Swarup tweeted that the prime minister propagated regular dialogue between the International Monetary Fund, regional financial arrangements and bilateral swap arrangements. Modi said, “IMF should remain a quota-based institution and not depend on borrowed resources. The long-delayed 15th General Review of Quotas must be completed by the 2017 annual meeting.”
India's need for energy to support its development also featured in Modi's address. The Group of 20 comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the US and the European Union, and together they represent 85% of the world's population.
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