G20 summit in India - Xi Jinping's to be absent
Chinese leader Xi Jinping (photo: GettyImages)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China has confirmed media reports that the country's leader, Xi Jinping, will not attend the G20 Summit in India, according to CNN.
Spokesperson Mao Nin stated that instead of Xi, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang will attend the summit, but he declined to discuss the reasons for the country's leader opting out.
"Xi’s absence from the G20 Summit comes as tensions simmer between China and host country India over their disputed border and New Delhi’s growing ties with the United States," the article reports.
G20 summit in India
The summit in New Delhi is scheduled for September 9-10, where, among other things, a meeting between Xi and Joe Biden was supposed to take place. Biden expressed his "disappointment" with the Chinese colleague's decision not to attend the summit.
Ukraine was not among the invited countries to the G20 summit. Organizers explained that this format is supposedly not designed for discussing security issues.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin will also be absent from the summit, and Russia will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov instead.
