Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to skip the G20 summit to be held here on September 9 and 10, according to reports from Beijing and here even as preparations are on in Nuh, Haryana, to hold the last G20 Sherpas’ meeting before finalising the documents.
India has not yet received any confirmation from China in this regard, and there is no official word from New Delhi on the subject either. People familiar with the matter, however, say the chances of Xi’s in-person attendance at the conclave are “very low”.
Premier to fill in for Chinese prez?
- Chinese president Xi Jinping may be substituted by premier Li Qiang, an important interlocutor for Beijing, at G20 summit
- On Aug 23, Xi and PM Modi were expected to meet in Johannesburg; it was seen as ice-breaker
- However, both countries sparred over which side had sought the meet on the sidelines of BRICS summit
Asked whether Xi was likely to skip the summit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin at a media briefing in Beijing said he had “nothing to offer at the moment”. Among those who have confirmed their attendance are the leaders of the US, UK, Japan, Canada, Australia, Indonesia, Turkey, Germany and France.
Though top leaders of both Russia and China may skip the event, there is daylight in their respective approaches. Putin called up PM Modi and explained that he would like to concentrate on the special military operation in Ukraine. The Kremlin followed up by wishing India success in hosting G20. China and India, on the other hand, have contested each other’s versions of the Modi-Xi August 23 meeting.
Mexico, in line with its policy at the past three G20 summits, will be represented by Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard.
