New Delhi: US President Joe Biden expressed his enthusiasm for his upcoming visit to India this week but conveyed his “disappointment” at the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping from the G20 summit in New Delhi. The White House had previously announced President Biden’s visit to India, scheduled for September 7, where he will participate in the G20 summit and engage in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 8.
India, in its role as the chair of the G20, is hosting the annual summit of this influential group on September 9-10. This summit is set to see the participation of over two dozen world leaders, including President Biden. When asked by reporters on Sunday about his upcoming trip to India and Vietnam, President Biden responded affirmatively, stating, “Yes, I am (looking forward to it).”
Regarding President Xi Jinping’s absence from the summit, President Biden expressed his disappointment, saying, “I’m disappointed, but I will meet him.” It’s worth noting that Biden and Xi had previously attended the G20 summit in Bali, where they also held discussions in November 2022. This meeting marked their commitment to reestablish dialogue as part of an effort to mitigate escalating tensions between the United States and China. This encounter was particularly significant as it was their first meeting following President Biden’s inauguration in January 2021.
In Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that President Xi Jinping would not attend the G20 summit in Delhi, and Premier Li Keqiang would lead the Chinese delegation instead. Premier Li will visit India after attending the East Asia Summit in Jakarta. In 2021, President Xi did not attend the G20 summit held in Italy due to China’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Notably, several other prominent world leaders have confirmed their attendance at the G20 summit, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Prime Minister Modi is set to hand over the G20 presidency to Brazilian President Lula on September 10. Brazil will formally assume the G20 presidency on December 1. The G20 member countries collectively contribute approximately 85 percent to the global gross domestic product (GDP) and account for over 75 percent of global trade. Moreover, around two-thirds of the world’s population resides in these member countries.
The G20 comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US, and the European Union (EU).
