China has made it clear that its leader, Xi Jinping, will not be attending a significant meeting of world leaders in New Delhi this weekend. Instead, Premier Li Qiang will be representing China at the event.
Xi’s presence at the G20 event was uncertain last week after a news report from Reuters suggested that he might not attend. The report relied on information from two Indian diplomats who were not named.
China’s Foreign Ministry stated at a news conference that Li will be going to the summit on Saturday and Sunday, but they didn’t mention Xi.
Mao Ning, who speaks for the ministry, avoided answering a reporter’s question about why Xi is not at the G20 summit. This would be the first time China’s leader has missed a G20 summit.
Mao said that China highly values and takes part in important international economic cooperation events, such as the Group of 20. However, Mao did not directly answer the question being asked.
Beijing made an announcement because US President Joe Biden was sad that he won’t be meeting with Xi at the summit.
“I feel sad, but I will still have the opportunity to see him,” Biden informed reporters on Sunday.
Biden had said before to CNN that he would be meeting with Xi in “the autumn”.
They last talked on the sidelines of a meeting called the G20 Summit in Bali, which happened in November last year.
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China indicates Xi Jinping won’t be present at G20 conference in India
