The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that President Xi Jinping will not be present at this week's G20 Summit in New Delhi. Instead, Premier Li Qiang will lead the delegation. In a brief statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning mentioned that Premier Li Qiang has been invited by the government of the Republic of India to participate in the 18th G20 Summit scheduled for September 9 and 10 in New Delhi, India.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning has announced that Premier Li Qiang of the State Council will attend the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi, India, on September 9 and 10. This attendance comes in response to an invitation extended by the government of the Republic of India.
Quoting the spokesperson, Mao Ning, the official statement read, "At the invitation of the government of the Republic of India, Premier of the State Council Li Qiang will attend the 18th G20 Summit to be held in New Delhi, India, on September 9 and 10."
The spokesperson further elaborated on China's stance, saying, "China hopes the summit can consolidate consensus, convey confidence, and promote development. China has always placed high importance on and actively participated in relevant events... in attending this meeting, Premier Li Qiang will convey China's thoughts and positions on G20 cooperation, pushing for the G20 to strengthen unity and cooperation, and working together to combat global economic and development challenges," as reported by news agency AFP.
"We are willing to work with all sides to push for the success of the G20 Leaders' Summit, and to make active contributions to promoting stable global economic recovery and sustainable development."
Notably, no specific reason was provided for President Xi Jinping's absence, but it was revealed that Premier Li Qiang will also represent China at the upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations and East Asia summits in Indonesia's Jakarta, further emphasizing China's diplomatic priorities.
This decision by President Xi Jinping marks him as the second world leader to decline attending the G20 Summit in India, following Russia's Vladimir Putin's earlier announcement. Putin, in a conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressed his inability to attend the meeting and instead intends to send Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in his place.
Speculation surrounding President Xi Jinping's absence had been circulating in the past week, leading to disappointment expressed by United States President Joe Biden. However, the summit will still see the participation of several world leaders, including 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.
