MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

China's President not attending G20 Summit in New Delhi

Premier Li Qiang will be representing China in India

China's President Xi Jinping Monday announced he would not be attending the Sept. 9-10 G20 Summit in New Delhi and that his country would be represented by Prime Minister Li Qiang. Xi has attended every G20 summit since coming to power except Rome in 2021 when he participated by video link.

Also absent from the gathering will be Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has an Interpol arrest warrant against him issued by the International Court of Justice for alleged crimes in the invasion of Ukraine.

“In attending this meeting, Premier Li Qiang will convey China's 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,” Chinese Government Spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

“The G20 is a major forum for international economic cooperation. China has always attached great importance to and actively participated in relevant activities,” she went on.

“Premier Li Qiang will elaborate on China’s views and propositions on G20 cooperation, promote the G20 to strengthen solidarity and cooperation, and work together to address global economic and development challenges,” she added.

The G20 brings together the world's 19 most important countries from an economic point of view, in addition to the European Union, which combined would account for about 85% of global GDP and two-thirds of the world's population.

China, the world's second-largest economy, has set an annual growth target of around five percent but has its own problems including weak consumer demand, soaring youth unemployment, and a crisis in the crucial property sector.

Xi's absence contrasts with his grand reception at the BRICS Summit just a few days ago in Johannesburg, when new members (Argentina, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates) were admitted into the bloc of emerging countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

China has long campaigned to expand and strengthen BRICS as a counterweight to US and Western dominance of world affairs.

Beijing also has a long-running border dispute with G20 host nation India, with deadly brawls breaking out along their contested boundary in recent years. Three years ago, the tensions resulted in a clash in the Ladakh region that killed 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers. It turned into a long-running standoff in the rugged mountainous area, where each side has stationed tens of thousands of military personnel backed by artillery, tanks, and fighter jets. Frictions have also risen over trade and India’s growing strategic ties with China’s main rival, the United States. Both India and China have expelled the other’s journalists. India recently overtook China as the world’s most populous nation and the two are rivals in technology, space exploration, and global trade. India and China fought a war over their border in 1962.