US President Joe Biden on Sunday expressed his disappointment over the reports of his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping’s plans to skip the G20 summit in India this week. “I am disappointed, but I am going to get to see him,” Biden told reporters in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware when asked about indications Xi will not join the leaders’ summit, as quoted by Bloomberg.
However, Biden didn’t say anything about the location where he might next meet Xi if he doesn’t travel to Delhi. Biden and Xi may have an opportunity to meet in November, when the US hosts the APEC conference in San Francisco, Bloomberg reported. Xi is not planning to travel to India for the summit, according to officials familiar with preparations for the meeting informed on the condition of anonymity. The decision comes amid mounting tensions between India and China.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend the summit in Xi’s place, according to a person familiar, while another said it would be another yet-to-be-named government official, as per Bloomberg. Biden and Xi last spoke on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, in November, but any progress was derailed when an alleged Chinese spy balloon crossed the US.
A number of high-level Biden administration officials have traveled to China in recent months, seeking to improve ties, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, climate envoy John Kerry, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. The US had expectations that the G20 meet in India could be the next step to thaw the relationship with China. Biden said last week he “hopes” that Xi would attend the summit.
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