According to sources familiar with the matter in India and China, it appears that Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to forgo attending the upcoming G20 summit in India. The summit is scheduled for September 9-10 in New Delhi, and it is anticipated that Premier Li Qiang will represent Beijing in Xi’s absence, as reported by two Indian officials – one diplomat based in China and another official from a different G20 nation. Both Indian and Chinese foreign ministries’ spokespersons did not respond to requests for comments.
The India-hosted summit had initially been seen as a potential opportunity for Xi to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden, who has confirmed his participation. Such a meeting could have helped ease strained relations between the two superpowers, marked by various trade and geopolitical disputes. Xi’s last meeting with Biden occurred on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, in November of the previous year.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has already announced his decision not to attend the summit in New Delhi, opting to send Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in his place.
An unnamed senior Indian government official confirmed that “we are aware that the premier will come” as a substitute for Xi.
In China, sources comprising two foreign diplomats and a government official from another G20 nation have suggested that Xi is unlikely to travel for the summit. These sources claim to have received information from Chinese officials but are not aware of the specific reasons for Xi’s expected absence.
All the officials cited here have chosen to remain anonymous as they are not authorized to speak to the media.
Anticipation of a potential meeting between Xi and Biden has been fueled by several high-ranking U.S. officials’ recent visits to Beijing, including a trip by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo earlier this week. Another opportunity for face-to-face talks between the two leaders is the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders Meeting in San Francisco, scheduled for November 12-18.
Xi, who secured an unprecedented third term as China’s leader in October of the previous year, has undertaken relatively few international trips since China eased its strict pandemic-induced border controls earlier this year. However, he did attend a meeting of BRICS leaders (representing Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) in South Africa just last week.
Notably, several G20 ministerial meetings held in India ahead of the summit encountered contention, particularly due to opposition from Russia and China regarding joint statements that included paragraphs condemning Moscow for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. On a more positive note, Xi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a rare conversation on the sidelines of the BRICS meeting in Johannesburg, discussing efforts to reduce tensions in their bilateral relationship, which had soured after clashes along their Himalayan frontier in 2020 resulted in the deaths of 24 soldiers.
