World leaders hold bilateral talks at G-20 summit in New Delhi

NEW DELHI

World leaders in New Delhi continued their bilateral meetings on the final day of the two-day G-20 summit.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang met his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak and called to continue "pragmatic cooperation" with China.

China is willing to deepen bilateral cooperation in sectors such as trade, investment, green development and tech to boost global sustained development, Li, who represented Chinese President Xi Jinping at the summit, told Sunak.

Li said China and the UK should oppose mixing trade and economic cooperation with politics and security, promote an open economy and uphold the multilateral trading system in line with principles laid down by the World Trade Organization.

Sunak's office did not immediately release a statement on the meeting, but PA Media, the UK's national news agency, said Sunak told Li concerns about "Chinese interference in the UK’s parliamentary democracy," hours after news of two arrests in the UK over accusations of spying for China.

Separately, Li and EU Council President Charles Michel exchanged views on a range of issues.

The EU in a statement said the two affirmed their interest in "maintaining stable and constructive relations," and that Michel "confirmed that the One China Policy is a fundamental principle of the EU-China relationship."

"At the same time, the EU naturally has economic ties with Taiwan," it added.

Li also met Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, on Saturday and said China's development is an opportunity rather than a risk for Europe, and the two sides should deepen their cooperation. China is always a reliable friend and partner for Europe, he added.

Other interactions on Sunday included Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Bin Salman praised Hasina's "leadership for the remarkable socio-economic development," according to the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry. She sought more Saudi investment in Bangladesh and discussed the issue of welfare of migrant workers in the kingdom.

The Saudi ruler also came face to face with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and African Union President Azali Assoumani.

Turkish president also met a number of leaders on Sunday, including Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, EU's Michel, and Saudi Arabia's crown prince.

The two-day summit came to a close with Modi handing over the G-20 term presidency to Brazil.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez skipped the two-day meeting.

The forum agreed on a consensus declaration that avoided condemning Russia for the war in Ukraine, but called on all states not to use force to seize territory, and welcomed the African Union as a member.

US President Joe Biden and his allies also announced plans to build a rail and shipping corridor linking India with the Middle East and Europe.

The leaders also paid their respects to Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi at the Rajghat memorial site in New Delhi.