Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced his decision to skip the upcoming Group of 20 (G-20) summit, marking the first time since taking office in 2012 that he will not attend. This announcement came as Beijing confirmed that Premier Li Qiang will represent China at the gathering in New Delhi this weekend.
On Monday, the foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced that Premier Li Qiang of China’s State Council has accepted the invitation from the government of the Republic of India to attend the 18th G20 Summit, the state news agency Xinhua reported. The summit is scheduled to take place in New Delhi, India on September 9 and 10.
The United States had previously explored the possibility of a summit between President Joe Biden and Xi in the Indian capital. However, it is now expected that talks between the two leaders will be arranged on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in San Francisco in November.
President Biden expressed his disappointment over reports of Xi’s absence from the G-20 meeting but expressed optimism about a future meeting, stating, “I am going to get to see him.” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, in a press conference on Monday, provided no specific reasons for President Xi’s decision to skip the G-20 summit.
Tensions have been brewing between China and India due to an ongoing territorial dispute in a Himalayan border area. A military clash in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh in 2020 resulted in the loss of 20 Indian soldiers and undisclosed Chinese casualties.
Mao Ning emphasized China’s commitment to the G-20 as a major forum for international economic cooperation. Premier Li Qiang is expected to use this opportunity to explain China’s views and proposals for member countries to jointly address global economic and development challenges.
Li Qiang will also attend summit talks related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta before traveling to India for the G-20 summit.
Notably, Xi Jinping’s predecessor, Hu Jintao, had regularly attended G-20 summits since the framework’s inception in 2008. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi participated virtually in the leaders’ meetings in 2020 and 2021.
Xi and Biden last met in person in Bali, Indonesia, on the sidelines of a G-20 meeting in November 2022. Despite ongoing disagreements on major political and economic issues, both countries have recently increased communication, with senior U.S. officials visiting China in a bid to improve relations.
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