China’s President Xi Jinping will skip the upcoming G20 Summit being hosted by India in New Delhi.
On Monday afternoon, China announced that Beijing’s Premier Li Qiang would attend the summit instead, thus confirming widespread speculation around Xi’s potential absence from the forum.
Overview
During a news conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said, “China hopes the summit can consolidate consensus, convey confidence, and promote development.”
Mao emphasised that the G20 is an important forum for international economic cooperation.
China’s Xi Jinping to skip G20 summit in Indiahttps://t.co/BjF8wsxyEl
— South China Morning Post (@SCMPNews) September 4, 2023
“China has always placed high importance on, and actively participated in, relevant events,” the spokesperson remarked.
She said, “In attending this meeting, Premier Li Qiang will convey China’s thoughts and positions on G20 cooperation, pushing for the G20 to strengthen unity and cooperation and working together to combat global economic and development challenges.”
Furthermore, the spokesperson said China is “willing to work with all sides jointly” to push for the G20 Leaders’ Summit’s success and “to make active contributions to promoting a stable global economic recovery and sustainable development.”
Biden Expresses Disappointment, India-China Tension
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden expressed his disappointment over reports of Xi’s absence from the critical gathering.
Speaking to reporters in Delaware on Sunday, Biden said, “I am disappointed…but I am going to get to see him,” without elaborating on when such a meeting would occur.”
Reportedly, the two leaders will meet in San Francisco later this year for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum meeting.
Xi’s decision to skip the summit comes as the summit was expected to see a meeting of the US and Chinese Presidents, while ties between the two superpowers continue to be embittered.
Additionally, the decision adds to the tensions between India and China, which are on the rise despite hopes for rapprochement.
The latest development in this regard was the recent map released by China, which included the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh and the disputed Aksai Chin region as parts of the Chinese territory.
China's Xi Jinping is apparently skipping the G20 summit in India as relations remain icy between the two countries over the disputed border, trade, and India's ties with the U.S. Premier Li Qiang will represent China at the G20, the foreign ministry said. https://t.co/8BbYWlB13R
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 4, 2023
This happened days after Indian PM Narendra Modi met Xi in Beijing, and the Indian Foreign Ministry said that Modi highlighted India’s concerns on the unresolved issues along the LAC.
In this light, Xi’s absence from the summit might be seen as a hint of further deterioration of ties, especially since the Chinese President recently travelled to South Africa for the BRICS summit.
The Summit
Indian PM Narendra Modi will host the G20 Summit on 9-10 September, which will see the participation of over a dozen world leaders, including US President Joe Biden.
Biden will travel to India from the 7th to the 10th and discuss many global issues in his bilateral meeting with Indian PM Narendra Modi.
British PM Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, Australian PM Anthony Albanese, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol are among the global dignitaries who will grace the occasion with their presence.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has already conveyed to the Indian PM that he cannot attend the summit in person due to his engagement in Moscow’s ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will not be a part of the summit, as Ukraine is not a part of the G20, and thus, he has not been invited.