Xi Jinping may not attend the G20 summit in India

Reuters – Informed sources in India and China told Reuters that Chinese President Xi Jinping may not attend the G20 leaders’ summit in India next week.

Two Indian officials, a diplomat based in China and an official from another G20 country said that Premier Li Qiang is expected to represent Beijing at the meeting, which will be held on Sept. 9-10 in New Delhi.

Spokesmen for the Indian and Chinese foreign ministries did not respond to requests for comment.

The summit in India is seen as a place where Xi could meet US President Joe Biden, who has confirmed his attendance, as the two superpowers seek to stabilize relations strained by a series of trade and geopolitical tensions.

Xi last met Biden on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, last November.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin had already announced that he would not travel to New Delhi and would send Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov instead.

“We are aware that the prime minister will come” in place of Xi, a senior official in the host government, India, told Reuters.

In China, two foreign diplomats and a government official from another G20 country said Xi was unlikely to travel to the summit.

The sources in China, two of whom said they were briefed by Chinese officials, said they did not know the reason for the absence.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.