New Delhi: Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman arrived in South Carolina on Sunday to participate in the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in nearby Asheville, North Carolina. The high-level gathering brings together top global economic policymakers to address global growth, sovereign debt burdens, international trade imbalances, and economic fallout linked to ongoing tensions involving Iran.
Upon her arrival at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, Sitharaman was received by India’s Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra. The minister is on a six-day official visit to the United States from August 29 to September 2, forming part of a broader nine-day North American tour that began with bilateral engagements in Canada.
The G20 Finance Track sessions are being hosted in Asheville by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent alongside Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh. Bessent highlighted that the host nation is prioritizing economic expansion and private-sector mobilization to bolster the global economy, framing robust growth as essential to tackling systemic challenges.
On the sidelines of the summit, Sitharaman met with William Brown, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of 3M, to discuss strengthening the conglomerate’s footprint in India. According to the Union Finance Ministry, discussions centred on India’s transformation into a major destination for advanced manufacturing, technology, and regional research and development, while addressing data security and maximizing local talent in enterprise networks.
Earlier in Chicago, Sitharaman addressed a high-level business roundtable where she pitched India as an ideal long-term investment destination. She highlighted the country’s sustained reform momentum, broad-based economic growth, and modern manufacturing ecosystem, urging multinational enterprises to establish global innovation and production hubs in India.
