Xi's G20 no-show is a sign China will do what China wants on the world stage
Xi Jinping's absence from this week's New Delhi summit right after he attended the BRICS shows China will increasingly navigate global diplomacy on its own terms.
Deciphering the calculus behind Chinese President Xi Jinping’s no-show at this week’s G20 summit in New Delhi resembles something of a geopolitical Rorschach test.
The prevailing Indian view sees it as a straight-up diplomatic snub. Or perhaps Beijing is looking to burnish the newly-expanded BRICS by undermining the G20. And just maybe, with his old friend Vladimir Putin also absent, Xi didn’t want to be left isolated when disagreements invariably emerged.
It is, however, a clear missed opportunity at a time of entrenched global divisions. Such is the extent of the centralisation of Xi’s power and decision-making in China that his non-attendance diminishes the scope for significant breakthroughs.
China confirmed on Monday that it will be Premier Li Qiang who will attend the summit, which starts on Saturday and will also be attended by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Xi has not missed a single in-person G20 summit in the decade since he became China’s president, except in 2021 during the coronavirus pandemic when he joined via video link.
