According to sources familiar with the situation in India and China, Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to skip the G20 Summit scheduled to take place in India next week, according to Reuters. Chinese Premier Li Qiang is anticipated to represent Beijing at the September 9–10 meeting in New Delhi on behalf of Xi, according to two Indian officials, a diplomat based in China, and a representative of a different G20 nation. Requests for comment from the Chinese and Indian foreign ministries’ spokespeople went unanswered.
As per Reuters, the G20 Summit in India had been viewed as a venue at which Xi may meet with US President Joe Biden, who has confirmed his attendance, as the two superpowers seek to stabilise relations soured by a range of trade and geopolitical tensions.
Xi last met Biden on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, last November.
One senior government official from India told Reuters that “we are aware that the premier will come”, in place of Xi.
According to Reuters, the sources in China, two of whom claimed to have received information from Chinese officials, claimed to be unaware of the cause of Xi’s anticipated absence. Since China abruptly lifted its COVID restrictions, the Chinese president has traveled abroad only occasionally. He did, however, go to the BRICS Summit last week in South Africa. According to Reuters, several G20 ministerial meetings held in India prior to the summit have been tense because China and Russia jointly objected to joint statements that included passages denouncing Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine last year.
