Question mark on permission to China team for G20 summit

NEW DELHI: The surge of Covid and its related protocols are likely to cloud the ten G20 working group meetings that are scheduled to be held across 10 different locations in India during the month of January. India has been gearing up for physical meetings before the G20 Presidency was handed over and this may prove to be a dampner.

Delegates from China in particular could be restricted to come for the meetings in January, or till the impact of Covid reduces in China, said sources.“India’s objective is to hold the scheduled meetings under its G20 presidency in physical format,’’ said external affairs ministry spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi, adding that if there is a change in guidelines, it would be notified subsequently.

On January 23, there would be 11 working group meetings held across 10 cities in India, while one is virtual.These meetings are scheduled in Kolkata, Pune, Thiruvanthapuram, Bhopal, Gandhinagar, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Pudducherry, Chandigarh and Chennai. “Preperations for these meetings are in full swing, however, with the surge in Covid we are ensuring that steps are taken to maintain covid protocols,” said officials.