PM Modi Launches Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation Partnership at G20 Summit

Johannesburg:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a new trilateral technology and innovation partnership between India, Australia, and Canada on Saturday following a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders' Summit.

"We are delighted to announce an Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation (ACITI) Partnership today," Modi stated in a social media post after the meeting.

The initiative aims to strengthen collaboration between democratic partners across three continents and three oceans in emerging technologies, support diversification of supply chains, promote clean energy development, and advance the mass adoption of artificial intelligence.

According to a joint statement released by the governments of the three countries, they agreed to "strengthen their ambition in cooperation on critical and emerging technologies to complement existing bilateral initiatives."

The partnership will leverage the natural strengths of India, Australia, and Canada with an emphasis on green energy innovation and building resilient supply chains, particularly in critical minerals.

"It will deepen their respective ambition and strategic collaboration towards net zero and drive further diversification of supply chains towards a secure, sustainable, and resilient future," the statement noted.

The partnership will also explore the development and widespread adoption of artificial intelligence technologies to improve citizens' lives across the three nations.

Officials from India, Australia, and Canada are scheduled to convene in the first quarter of 2026 to advance this initiative.

In addition to launching the trilateral partnership, Prime Minister Modi held separate meetings with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday.

"It was wonderful meeting Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Johannesburg. This year has brought new energy to the India–UK partnership and we will keep driving it forward across many domains," Modi shared on social media platform X.

The prime minister described his conversation with UN chief Guterres as "very productive."

During the opening session of the G20 Leaders' Meeting, Modi called for a fundamental reconsideration of global development parameters and proposed establishing a G20 initiative to counter the drug-terror nexus as well as a global healthcare response team.