It is official. China will be represented by Premier of State Council Li Qiang at the G20 Leaders Summit in Delhi. President Xi Jinping will skip the event.
This was announced by the the ministry of foreign affairs in China in a one-line readout. “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.’’
Xi is the second leader to drop out of the G20 Leaders Summit. President of Russia Vladimir Putin will not be attending. Putin’s reason for missing the summit is the special military operations. While Putin spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week and conveyed his inability to attend the summit, apart from the terse read-out, China has chosen not to elaborate on why Xi would not attend the event.
This is the first time that Xi will not be attending the Leaders Summit of the G20. In 2021 during the Covid pandemic, he attended virtually. In 2020 too, he had attended the meeting held virtually.
His absence from the forum comes at a time when tensions between India and China remain high. The border remains an emotive issue in India. And with China releasing the ‘standard map’ for 2023 which laid claim to Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin, things were likely to be heated.
Xi not attending is likely to be China’s way of raining on India’s G20 Presidency parade. Especially, as China has emerged as the strongest hurdle for Indian diplomats in their efforts to bring out a joint communique. It is certainly a signal that the relationship between India and China is likely to remain frosty for a bit.
Happymon Jacob, founder of Council for Strategic and Defense Research, posted on X, “That it is a $18 trillion economy snubbing the $ 3.75 trillion economy
-That is rising superpower trying to show India “its place’’!
-Bothering not to give any reason for Xi’s absence is rubbing it in.
The age of Sino-Indian “let’s resolve our differences through dialogue’’ phase may well be over.
– We may not see any more summit level visits soon.
If so, brace for impact.”
For Prime Minister Modi, China’s attempt at ruining the G20 party may actually help bolster his image. Modi and President Xi had a conversation on the sidelines of the BRICS in South Africa where the two leaders agreed "to direct their relevant officials to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation," according to Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra.
With Xi not attending, Modi, who raised India’s concerns over the unresolved issues on the sidelines of the BRICS event, looks stronger. It could be interpreted that he refused to concede to the Chinese position.
Beyond India and China, President Xi’s skipping the summit of a multilateral forum, together with Russia, is a reflection of how deep the divide is. Especially, as he chose to be at the centerstage of the BRICS in South Africa as it expanded. With this, any reform that India was hoping to push through for multilateral forums will certainly be less effective.
