PM may attend G-20 summit on economic crisis

BEIJING: The global economic slowdown is clearly taking precedence over everything else, as prime minister Manmohan Singh landed in Beijing on Thursday to attend the Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) that will discuss the crisis for two days from Friday.

There is no official confirmation as yet, but the prime minister is likely to travel to the US on November 15 for a summit meeting on the crisis called by US president George W Bush.

In Beijing, Manmohan expressed the hope that “the meeting of minds between Europe and Asia will produce a solution to many global problems”.

The Asem agenda is to promote economic interaction and social development between Asia and Europe, but the global economic downturn has sparked fears that Asia may not be saved from the transnational epidemic.

Senior officials accompanying the prime minister conceded that an early solution to the crisis was unlikely as neither the developed nor the developing world had a ready solution. They confirmed a joint action plan was yet to be drawn up despite French president Nicolas Sarkozy’s remark that the developing world should also be made a part of the solution.

President Bush’s invitation to India for the G-20 summit was discussed at the summit-level talks between Japanese prime minister Taro Aso and Manmohan Singh. 
j_ansari@dnaindia.net