Chinese President Xi Jinping will skip a summit of the Group of 20 major economies for the first time since becoming the nation's leader in 2012, as Beijing said Monday Premier Li Qiang will attend a gathering in New Delhi this weekend.
The United States had explored the possibility of a summit between President Joe Biden and Xi in the Indian capital. The two governments are expected to arrange the talks on the sidelines of a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in San Francisco in November.
Biden expressed disappointment Sunday over reports that Xi would likely skip the G-20 meeting but said he is "going to get to see him." At a press conference on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning provided no reasons for Xi's absence.
China and India have been at loggerheads over a territorial dispute in a Himalayan border area. A 2020 military clash in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh left 20 Indian soldiers dead and undisclosed Chinese casualties.
Mao told a press conference that China has always "attached great importance" to the G-20 as a major forum for international economic cooperation, and Li will explain China's views and proposals for member countries to jointly cope with global economic and development challenges.
Li will travel to India after attending summit talks related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Jakarta.
Before Xi came to power, his predecessor, Hu Jintao, had attended G-20 summits since the framework's launch in 2008. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Xi virtually participated in the leaders' meetings in 2020 and 2021.
Xi and Biden last met in person in Bali, Indonesia, on the fringes of a G-20 meeting in November 2022.
The world's two largest economies have been increasing communication recently, with a series of China visits by senior U.S. officials, despite significant disagreements remaining over nearly all major political and economic issues.
Related coverage:
Japan PM Kishida to visit Indonesia, India for ASEAN, G-20 summits
Biden to visit India in early September for G-20 summit
G-20 finance chiefs fail again to bridge rift over Russian war
