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Confirmed: Xi Jinping Will Not Attend the G20 Summit

by Cobus van Staden
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning during the official announcement that China will be represented at the upcoming G20 summit in India by Premier Li Qiang. Image: Chinese Foreign Ministry

China’s Foreign Ministry has announced that Premier Li Qiang will lead its delegation to the G20 leaders’ summit in New Delhi later this week. While spokesperson Mao Ning didn’t say so explicitly, this almost certainly means that President Xi Jinping will skip the gathering.

It is highly unlikely that both Xi and Li would leave the country at the same time, especially to attend the same event. Mao refused to elaborate despite several follow-up questions from journalists.

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