Golgappas, idlis, and bilateral ties: All about PM Modi and Japanese PM Kishida's meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida on Monday vowed to expand the India-Japan global strategic partnership, holding that it is important for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific besides benefitting the two countries in diverse areas.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in India on Monday for a two-day visit. The visit intended to ramp up bilateral ties in a range of areas and explore convergence between India's presidency of G20 and Japan's presidency of the G7 to address various global problems.

Here are all the details of Kishida's visit to India:

1. Japan PM Kishida on Monday announced a new plan to promote an open and free Indo-Pacific, promising billions of dollars in investment to help economies across the region in everything from industry to disaster prevention.

2. The new free and open Indo-Pacific plan comprises four key pillars. The four pillars of Kishida's plan are maintaining peace, dealing with new global issues in cooperation with Indo-Pacific countries, achieving global connectivity through various platforms, and ensuring the safety of the open seas and skies.

3. To achieve this, Japan pledged $75 billion to the Indo-Pacific by 2030 through private investment and yen loans and by ramping up aid through official governmental assistance and grants.

4. PM Modi on Monday said that the two sides discussed boosting India-Japan ties in sectors like defence, healthcare, technology, and other issues. "We also discussed ways to increase competitiveness in logistics, food processing, MSME, textiles and more," he tweeted.

5. He said that the two sides also discussed ways to further peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. PM Modi also spoke about India's G20 Presidency and how the presidency will give voice to the views of the Global South during his talks with the Japanese PM.

6. The two prime ministers focused on significantly boosting cooperation in areas of clean energy, semiconductors and co-development of military hardware besides exploring ways to deal with regional security challenges amidst the increasing assertiveness of China.

7. In his remarks, Kishida said Tokyo's economic cooperation with New Delhi continues to grow rapidly and it will not only support further development of India but create significant economic opportunities for Japan.

8. The Japanese prime minister said he formally invited PM Modi for the G7 summit in May and that his Indian counterpart accepted the invite.

9. The Ukraine conflict and its implications, the situation in the Indo-Pacific and also co-development of military hardware figured prominently during extensive talks between PM Narendra Modi and his Japanese PM Fumio Kishida on Monday.

10. The Japanese prime minister described India as an "indispensable partner" for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and underlined the importance of preventing coercion and upholding a rules-based international order in the region.

11. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also gifted a sandalwood Buddha statue encased in a 'kadamwood jali box' to his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida. The artwork is associated with the rich heritage of Karnataka.

12. The two leaders also relished tangy golgappas, aam panna and fried idlis in the lush environs of the Buddha Jayanti Park. After offering floral tributes at the statue of the Buddha, Modi gifted Kishida a sapling of the Bal Bodhi tree.  

(With inputs from PTI, Reuters)

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