Biden to travel to India next month for G20 summit

President Biden will travel to India early next month to attend the annual Group of 20 (G20) summit, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Tuesday.

Sullivan confirmed Biden would visit India from Sept. 7-10 for the summit, which is being held in New Delhi. Sullivan said the president would attend various bilateral meetings with other world leaders, but he did not disclose which leaders specifically.

In a separate statement, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden and other world leaders would cover a range of topics, including combating climate change, the global economy, the war in Ukraine and efforts to fight poverty.

In addition to Biden’s trip to India, Vice President Harris will travel to Jakarta, Indonesia, from Sept. 4-7 to attend the U.S.-ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit with leaders from the Indo-Pacific.

Biden attended the ASEAN and East Asia summits in Cambodia in 2022 and met with ASEAN leaders last May at a U.S. gathering.

The president’s trip to India will mark his latest round of engagement with the country. He hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an official state visit in June, rolling out the red carpet despite concerns about India’s human rights record under Modi.

Taken together, the president and vice president’s travels next month are the latest example of the Biden administration seeking to increase cooperation with allies in the Indo-Pacific as a counterbalance to regional heavyweight China.