Chinese President Xi Jinping To Skip G20 Summit, Premier Li Qiang To Attend, Says Beijing

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday afternoon that Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend the G20 Summit in Delhi this weekend. Li Qiang, China's premier, will attend the meeting in Xi Jinping's place, according to the officials. Although the Chinese foreign ministry acknowledged that Xi Jinping would not be attending the 18th G20 Summit.

Xi Jinping's attendance at the meeting has not yet been officially confirmed by a letter from China, according to the report. Mr. Xi Jinping is the second G20 leader to decline to attend the summit in India. Russia is the first nation to skip the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, followed by China. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, recently informed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone that he would not be attending the Summit 2023.

President Xi Jinping will not only miss the G20 but also the ASEAN summit this year. In 2021, the Chinese President skipped the G20 meeting, which was hosted in Italy. At the time, the COVID-19 limitations in China were stated as the basis for the decision. Mr Li Qiang will represent China on both occasions.