In a significant development, China has officially confirmed that its President, Xi Jinping, will not be in attendance at the upcoming G20 Summit scheduled to take place in New Delhi on September 9-10. Instead, the Chinese delegation will be led by Premier Li Qiang, as announced by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. This decision from China comes amidst ongoing tensions between the two nations regarding their activities along the India-China border.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning issued a concise statement
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning issued a concise statement, indicating, “At the invitation of the Government of the Republic of India, Premier of the State Council Li Qiang will attend the 18th G20 Summit to be held in New Delhi, India on 9 and 10 September.”
The confirmation of President Xi’s absence was conveyed to Indian counterparts by Chinese officials on September 2, although written confirmation is still pending. Notably, the Foreign Ministry has not provided any specific reasons for President Xi’s decision to skip this high-profile gathering hosted by India for the first time.
In response to this development, U.S. President Joe Biden expressed his disappointment over Chinese President Xi’s non-participation in the summit. President Biden is slated to visit India from September 7-10.
Tensions between India and China have escalated in recent times, with Beijing releasing a new map asserting territorial claims over India’s Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin in Ladakh. India vehemently protested against these claims, labeling them as “absurd.”
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has also declared his absence from the summit in person, citing his need to focus on the “special military operation” in Ukraine. Russia will be represented by its Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov.
The G20 Leaders’ Summit annually convenes the heads of state or government from the Group of Twenty (G20) member countries, which include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US, and the European Union (EU).
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