BEIJING
\nSince the first edition of G20 leaders\u2019 summit in 2008, President Xi Jinping for the very first time will snub the gathering being hosted by India this weekend, in a move that \u2018disappointed\u2019 US President Joe Biden as Russian President Vladimir Putin has already decided to skip the New Delhi event.
\nHowever, Premier Li Qiang will lead China\u2019s delegation to the G20 summit, while Russia will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the meeting of the world\u2019s biggest economies.
\nOn the other hand, India on Monday launched 11-day military drills, including along contested border areas with China, which will continue during the summit. A defence official, however, claimed \u201cTrishul\u201d, or trident, were \u201can annual training exercise\u201d in northern zones bordering Pakistan and China.
\nIndia is also seeking to develop closer ties with Western countries, including fellow Quad members the United States, Japan and Australia, which are also wooing New Delhi as an alternative to China.
\nSpeculation and media reports have swirled for the past week that Xi would snub the event, but China had remained silent on the issue.
\nBeijing\u2019s foreign ministry confirmed on Monday that Li would be at the G20 Leaders\u2019 Summit on Saturday and Sunday, which it described as an important forum for economic cooperation.
\nUS President Joe Biden has said he would be \u201cdisappointed\u201d to see Xi skip the gathering of world leaders in New Delhi.
\nAsked about Xi reportedly not planning to join the gathering in New Delhi, Biden told reporters, \u201cI am disappointed, but I am going to get to see him,\u201d without elaborating.
\nBilateral ties between the US and China face a long list of problems, from trade disputes to Taiwan\u2019s future to the expansive Chinese presence in the South China Sea.
\nThe United States has also been working to repair relations with Beijing, sending a series of senior officials to China in recent months, despite continuing friction.
\nChina\u2019s spokeswoman Mao Ning at a regular news briefing said: \u201cIn attending this meeting, Premier Li Qiang will convey China\u2019s 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.\u201d
\nAsked whether the announcement meant Xi would not travel to New Delhi, Mao said: \u201cI made an announcement about this just now. Premier Li Qiang will lead a delegation to New Delhi, India, to take part in the G20 Leaders\u2019 Summit.\u201d
\nThe Group of 20 major economies consists of 19 countries and the European Union, making up about 85 per cent of global GDP and two-thirds of the world\u2019s population.
\nThe summit has taken on additional importance this year as many countries wrestle with high inflation and economic turbulence amid a slowing recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
\nChina, the world\u2019s second-largest economy, has set an annual growth target of around 5pc but has its own problems including weak consumer demand, soaring youth unemployment and a crisis in the crucial property sector.
\nThis will be the first time that a Chinese president has missed a G20 leaders\u2019 summit since the first edition was held in 2008, though in 2020 and 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Xi attended virtually.
\nAlso, President Putin will not attend the gathering in India, weeks after Putin had decided not to join the BRICS summit in South Africa in-person. Putin\u2019s absence in Africa was said to be due to an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for him over alleged war crimes in Ukraine. The Kremlin, which strongly denies the ICC allegations, has not said why Putin will not attend the G20 gathering in India.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BEIJING Since the first edition of G20 leaders\u2019 summit in 2008, President Xi Jinping for the very first time will snub the gathering being hosted by India this weekend, in a move that \u2018disappointed\u2019 US President Joe Biden as Russian President Vladimir Putin has already decided to skip the New Delhi event. However, Premier Li […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":354106,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-354080","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n