TIL Desk/National/Davos/ Prime Minister Narendra Modi mounted a defence of globalisation at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday, urging joint action on climate change and economic cooperation, in a speech some delegates took as a swipe at US President Donald Trump’s America First agenda.
Modi, making the forum’s first speech by an Indian head of government in more than two decades, did not mention Trump by name but he criticised the rise of protectionism in remarks delivered three days before the US President addresses the summit.
“Instead of globalisation, the power of protectionism is putting its head up,” Modi said, speaking in Hindi. “Their wish is not only to save themselves from globalisation, but to change the natural flow of globalisation.”
Speaking at the plenary of the WEF annual summit, the PM also said climate change and terrorism were grave concerns before the world. While terrorism was dangerous, he said, equally dangerous was the “artificial distinction” made between a “good terrorist” and a “bad terrorist”. He said it was painful to see some youngsters getting radicalised.
