G20 Virtual Summit: In a major development, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has confirmed that President Xi Jinping will not join the upcoming G20 Virtual Summit which is scheduled for Wednesday, November 22. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Premier Li Qiang will attend the virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit at India’s invitation on Wednesday. The crucial update from the Chinese side coincides with India's Foreign Ministry's announcement which claimed almost "all leaders will grace the event virtually".
What India says
When asked whether Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will join the meeting, Foreign Secretary, Vinay Kwatra, on Tuesday, denied elaborating on the details. Similarly, he did not confirm whether Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will join the meeting amid the fact the tension between India and Canada rose tremendously following his allegations against the Indian government in the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June this year.
However, he denied any speculations about the attendance of any specific leaders in the media. Earlier, when India hosted the G20 Summit in person, Putin and Jinping skipped the event and sent its representatives to attend the Summit. From the Russian side, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had attended the event while Qang had joined the event in place of Jinping.
Russian President Vladimir Putin may join G20 Summit
On Sunday, the Kremlin, reportedly said that the Russian President would attend the much-awaited summit. The summit is scheduled for November 22 in the national capital, New Delhi, where the leaders of the Group of 20 nations are due to attend via video-conferencing. Quoting the Rossiya 1 TV channel, Russian news outlet, Sputnik said Putin is expected to take part in the virtual G-20 summit.
"After a long time, the Russian president and Western leaders can finally participate in the same event. Next week there will be a virtual G-20 summit. And Vladimir Putin is expected to take part in it," Putin's programme on the Russia 1 TV channel reported on Sunday.
American President Joe Biden may also skip
Meanwhile, speaking to The New Indian Express US ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, said he cannot confirm whether President Biden will attend the India-led virtual G20 Leaders Summit.
According to G20 Sherpa, Amitabh Kant, the upcoming meeting will be focused on climate change and the adoption of green energy which would help in the crucial United Nations Climate Change Conference or COP28.
