Chinese President Xi Jinping has declined to attend the G20 summit in India this weekend. Instead, he will be represented by Premier Li Qiang.
Premier Li Qiang will lead China’s delegation at a G20 summit in New Delhi this weekend, China’s foreign ministry said on Monday, indicating President Xi Jinping would not attend and scuppering chances of a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden there.
The Sept. 9-10 summit had been seen as a venue for a possible meeting between Xi and Biden, who has confirmed his attendance in New Delhi, following months of efforts by the two powers to stabilise ties frayed by trade and geopolitical tensions.
“The G20 is the main forum for international economic cooperation and China has always placed great importance on and proactively taken part in such events,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a press conference, when asked by a reporter why China’s “leader” would not attend.
The reasons for Xi’s decision are not entirely clear, but there are a few possible explanations. One possibility is that he is simply not interested in attending the summit. The G20 is a forum for economic cooperation, and China is already the world’s second-largest economy. Xi may not see the need to attend the summit in person, especially since he has already met with many of the other world leaders at other events this year.
Another possibility is that Xi is avoiding a meeting with US President Joe Biden. The US and China are currently engaged in a number of disputes, including over trade, technology, and human rights. A meeting between Xi and Biden would likely be tense, and Xi may not want to risk further escalating tensions.
Biden said on Sunday that he was disappointed Xi was not going to the summit but added that he was going to “get to see him”. Biden did not elaborate.
Xi last met Biden on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Indonesia in November. Germany, Europe’s largest economy, also “regrets” Xi’s decision not to attend, a spokesperson for its government said on Monday.
Also absent from the New Delhi summit will be Russian President Vladimir Putin, following an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for him over alleged war crimes in Ukraine. Russia will be represented by its foreign minister.
It remains to be seen what impact Xi’s absence will have on the G20 summit. The summit is expected to discuss a number of important issues, including the global economy, climate change, and terrorism. Without Xi’s participation, it will be more difficult to reach consensus on these issues.
