China's Xi May Skip G20 Summit

Facts

• Chinese Pres. Xi Jinping is likely to miss the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, between Sept. 9-10, according to multiple anonymous government officials.¹
• While neither China nor India has officially commented on the matter, a senior Indian government official told Reuters that Chinese Premier Li Qiang would represent the country instead.²
• Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin has already confirmed he will not be attending, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov taking his place.³
• So far this year, Xi has only traveled outside of China in order to visit Russia and South Africa. However, Xi notably met with Indian PM Narendra Modi this month at a BRICS summit, and US Pres. Joe Biden at the previous G20 summit in November 2022 based in Bali.⁴
• The news also comes as India and China continue to engage in a border dispute, with China's latest map also including the Indian northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.⁵
• Territorial tensions along the Himalayan border between China and India culminated in skirmishes in 2020, leading to the death of 24 soldiers. It is believed that the next global summit Xi Jinping may attend could be the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders Meeting in November.⁶

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²Hindustan times, ³The hindu, ⁴The times of india, ⁵Independent and ⁶Mint.

Narratives

• Anti-China narrative, as provided by Theprint. It's up to India at the G20 summit to, with the help of the US, project its power in light of China's border claims and show that it is moving away from Chinese dependency. As both China and India continue to joust with one another, India must put its best foot forward and project itself at such an important event as a nation that must be respected in the same manner as any other global superpower.
• Pro-China narrative, as provided by Middle east eye. Although India and China remain at odds over several flashpoints, they're aligned on several key issues. The West, however, is quick to exaggerate any differences at the first sign of trouble — while ignoring its own differences with New Delhi — in order to polarize Beijing and contain its expanding influence. These deliberate disruptions will only hinder global cooperation.
• Pro-China narrative, as provided by Topic’. Although India and China remain at odds over several flashpoints, they're aligned on several key issues. The West, however, is quick to exaggerate any differences at the first sign of trouble — while ignoring its own differences with New Delhi — in order to polarize Beijing and contain its expanding influence. These deliberate disruptions will only hinder global cooperation.

Predictions