The US leader was apparently hoping to meet his Chinese counterpart at the upcoming G20 summit in India.
US President Joe Biden has expressed disappointment when asked about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s alleged plan to skip the G20 leaders’ summit in New Delhi.
“I am disappointed… but I will be able to see it”, Biden told reporters in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Sunday, without specifying where exactly he hopes to meet the Chinese leader and when.
Xi Jinping is unlikely to attend the upcoming G20 summit in India in person, Reuters reported last week, citing unnamed Chinese and Indian officials. Beijing’s delegation to the event will be led by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, the agency said.
Beijing has yet to officially confirm the Chinese leader’s travel plans. The Indian and Chinese foreign ministries declined to comment when asked about the issue.
Xi has only made two trips abroad since China’s strict Covid-19 restrictions were lifted at the end of 2022. He visited Moscow last March for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and he personally attended the BRICS summit in South Africa last month.
President Putin will not be going to the G20 summit either. According to the Kremlin, Russia will be represented in New Delhi by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The G20 summit is scheduled for New Delhi on September 9-10, and Western media expected the gathering to become the scene of Biden’s first face-to-face meeting with Xi since their G20 summit talks. in Bali. Indonesia last November. According to the White House, the American leader is still expected to arrive in India earlier, on September 7, to attend several bilateral meetings with other world leaders.
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