RTRS-China's Xi Likely To Skip Delhi Summit

Earlier, Reuters reported that according to Chinese and Indian officials familiar with the matter, Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to skip the upcoming G20 leaders' summit in Delhi from 9-10 September. The report states that Premier Li Qiang is set to be sent in Xi's stead, and that this will also be the case for East Asia Summit taking place in Jakarta, Indonesia from 5-7 Sep. Xi's absence would add to a growing list of national leaders not travelling to the summit, with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador both declining their invitations.

• Xi's absence would be keenly felt, given that there had been speculation that he could hold in-person sideline talks with US President Joe Biden for the first time since they met at the G20 summit last year in Bali, Indonesia. Following UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly's visit to Beijing on 30 August, it was also seen as possible that PM Rishi Sunak might meet with Xi in person for the first time.
• Xi's non-attendance would also be viewed as something of a blow to India's G20 presidency, which has engaged in a major PR campaign throughout 2023 to promote the country's global role. Nevertheless, without the Chinese leader attending, the focus of the summit could turn to other matters including efforts by the EU, UK and Canada to reach FTA's with India in the near future.