G20 Summit New Delhi to Proceed Without Putin & Jinping

G20 Summit Faces Challenges as China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin Skip Attendance

The upcoming Group of 20 (G20) summit in New Delhi will notably be without the presence of China’s Xi Jinping. China’s Foreign Ministry announced that Premier Li Qiang would lead the Chinese delegation to India. There is no specific reason for Xi’s absence.

Xi’s non-participation raises concerns about the effectiveness of agreements reached at the summit. Josh Lipsky, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center, highlighted the challenge of executing agreements without Xi’s direct involvement. This is especially regarding debt restructuring, following a recent agreement involving Zambia, China, and other nations.

President Biden expressed disappointment over Xi’s decision to skip the meeting. The administration has been seeking increased communication with Beijing to manage tensions. The G20 offered an opportunity for a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders. Perhaps the next possible encounter between both the leasers would be the APEC summit in California.  Although doubts about Xi’s attendance there have arisen.

Uncertainty Looms Over G20 Agreement on Ukraine Language in Communique

There are also uncertainties regarding whether the G20 will reach an agreement. This shall be on a communique that maintains the language on Russia’s war in Ukraine used in the previous summit in Bali. Amitabh Kant, the Indian official serving as the “sherpa” for the G20 meeting, expressed the intention to seek consensus among all G20 parties on this matter.

In addition to Xi’s absence, Russian President Vladimir Putin will also not attend the summit, following his absence from last year’s gathering in Bali.

Unconventional Measures: Monkeys and Street Clean-Up in Preparation for G20 Summit

Unusual measures are being taken to prevent disruptions from monkeys during the summit. These measures include using life-size cut-out photos of larger and more aggressive gray langur. This is to scare off real monkeys and hiring individuals to mimic their sounds.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government allocated $120 million to clean up the streets of New Delhi in preparation for the summit, which involved demolishing houses, street vendor stalls, and homeless shelters, according to the Associated Press.