In a recent announcement by China's Foreign Ministry, it has been confirmed that President Xi Jinping will not be in attendance at the upcoming G20 Summit, scheduled to take place in New Delhi on September 9 and 10. Instead, Chinese Premier Li Qiang will be leading the Chinese delegation.
The spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry stated that, in response to the invitation extended by the government of the Republic of India, Premier Li Qiang, from the State Council, will represent China at the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi, India. However, no specific reasons were provided for President Xi's absence from this high-profile international meeting.
President Xi is also notably absent from the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and East Asia summits, currently happening in Jakarta this week, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in attendance. Once again, Premier Li Qiang is set to lead the Chinese delegation in Indonesia.
It's worth noting that in 2021, President Xi Jinping did not travel to Italy for the G20 Summit due to COVID-19-related restrictions imposed by China.
Biden Expresses Disappointment Over Xi's Absence
Earlier today, US President Joe Biden expressed his eagerness to visit India for the G20 Summit and conveyed his disappointment at President Xi Jinping's absence from the New Delhi event. In response to a question, Biden remarked, "I am disappointed, but I am going to get to see him."
Several prominent world leaders, including US President Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, have already confirmed their participation in the G20 Summit.
Russian President Putin Opts Out, Citing Ukraine Situation
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has informed Prime Minister Modi that he will not be attending the G20 Summit in New Delhi, as he intends to focus on a "special military operation" in Ukraine. This decision follows his absence from the previous year's G20 Summit in Bali.
Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi, has noted that the absence of both the Chinese and Russian Presidents, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, is not expected to impact the outcome of the global event, as most of the key elements have already been finalized as part of the declaration.
The G20 group comprises 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). India held the G20 presidency last year and will be passing it on to Brazilian President Lula da Silva on September 10.
