New Delhi: The Chinese Foreign Ministry has confirmed that President Xi Jinping will be absent from the upcoming G20 Summit scheduled to take place in New Delhi this week. Instead, Premier Li Qiang will lead the Chinese delegation at the summit, following an invitation from the Indian government.
Premier Li Qiang is set to attend the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi on September 9 and 10, representing China in this high-profile international gathering. Notably, the foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, did not provide any specific reasons for President Xi's non-participation in this significant event, hosted by India for the first time.
Furthermore, President Xi will also skip the ASEAN(Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and East Asia summits occurring concurrently in Jakarta this week. Premier Li will step in as China's representative at the ASEAN Summit, with an official visit to Indonesia on the agenda as well.
Now, Premier Li is expected to travel to India after attending the East Asia summit in Jakarta. In 2021, Chinese President Xi did not travel to Italy to participate in the G20 summit due to China's COVID-19 restrictions.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has also conveyed his decision not to attend the G20 Summit in person, as he focuses on the "special military operation" in Ukraine. The Russian president had skipped the Bali summit of G20 in November last year as well.
The G20, composed of 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), represents a significant portion of the global economy, international trade, and world population, underscoring the importance of these gatherings in addressing global issues and cooperation.
Also read: Looking forward to India trip, disappointed Xi not attending G20 summit: President Biden
