Metropolis Desk-
US President Joe Biden has stated that he is “disappointed” that his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping intends to forego the upcoming G20 conference in India.
On Sunday, Mr. Biden told reporters, “I am disappointed, but I will see him. He has not yet given me a date for that meeting, though. China’s premier Li Qiang will be in charge of the mission at the summit in Delhi this week, according to a statement from Beijing on Monday.
In Indonesia last year for the G20 conference, Mr. Xi and Mr. Biden last spoke.
Despite a flurry of diplomatic visits from Washington this year to reopen communication, relations between the US and China remain strained.
When specifically questioned about Mr. Xi’s participation in the Delhi summit during Monday’s press briefing, the Chinese foreign ministry neither confirmed nor denied it.
The Chinese delegation at the G20 summit will be led by Li Qiang. It’s a sizable and significant international economic forum. China has traditionally valued it and actively participated in associated events, according to a spokesman for the foreign ministry.
However, press reports this week claimed that Mr. Xi does not intend to go, citing unnamed officials familiar with the situation. The announcement coincides with deteriorating ties between China and India. The two nations are at odds with one another, among other things, along their disputed boundary in the Himalayan area.
India recently voiced its displeasure when Beijing published a map claiming Chinese sovereignty over the state of Arunachal Pradesh and the Aksai Chin region.
The leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation will convene in San Francisco in November, and Mr. Xi and Mr. Biden may yet have the chance to speak at that event.
An purported Chinese surveillance balloon in the sky over the US dashed hopes for a re-set in bilateral relations around two months after the two presidents met there in November, delaying efforts to restart discussion by months.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, human rights in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, territorial claims to Taiwan and the South China Sea, and economic limitations that prevent Beijing from accessing high-tech components are just a few of the concerns that divide the two nations.
A number of senior US officials have visited China recently in an effort to strengthen ties. They consist of US Special Envoy for Climate Change John Kerry, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
As a replacement for the Washington-led global order, Mr. Xi seeks to position Beijing as the leader of the developing world.
He spoke out against Western “hegemony” and urged emerging countries to “[shake] off the yoke of colonialism” during a visit to South Africa last month to meet with BRICKS leaders.
The five-nation club of developing nations known as the BRICKS originally included South Africa, Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
Six new nations are scheduled to join in January, including Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. This is widely regarded as a diplomatic victory for Beijing.
Source- BBC News
