OSAKA /WASHINGTON (TIP): US President Donald Trump on Thursday, June 27, arrived in Osaka, Japan  to attend the G-20 Summit over the weekend and to hold discussions on a host of bilateral and global issues with leaders of top 20 economies of the world.

Besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the US president will meet his Chinese and Russian counterparts Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit.

The White House said Mr. Trump and Mr. Modi would hold a bilateral meeting on June 28. This would be the third engagement of Mr. Trump on Friday, which would start with his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at 8.30 am local time. Thereafter, Mr. Modi would join Mr. Abe and Mr. Trump for a tri-lateral meeting at 9.15 am.

The Trump-Modi bilateral is scheduled to start at 9.35 am. Trump’s next engagement is with German Chancellor Angel Merkel at 10.15 am, according to the White House. He will also meet the Russian and Brazilian presidents later in the afternoon.

This would be Mr. Trump’s first meeting with Mr. Modi after his recent electoral victory. It comes in the immediate aftermath of the India visit of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, during which he met Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

The Trump-Modi meeting assumes significance in the wake of the strain that has popped up in the bilateral relationship on a host of trade and economic issues.

This is Mr. Trump’s second visit to Japan in less than a month.

The G20 is an opportunity for world leaders to discuss the biggest challenges facing the global economy, the White House said.

Mr. Trump’s goal this week is to fight for the best deals and outcomes possible to lift up America’s workers, it said.

A truly level-playing field means breaking down foreign barriers — both the tariff and non-tariff kind — that have stifled America’s economy and taken away too many jobs, the White House said.

“Unlike his predecessors, Mr. Trump is willing to use every tool at his disposal to bring these countries to the negotiating table and agree to better terms for our citizens, it said.”

 (Source: PTI)