China signals Xi Jinping will not attend G20 summit in India

Xi most recently travelled to the Brics summit in South Africa, a bloc the Chinese leader is pushing as an alternative to western-led groups such as the G20 and G7. Photograph: Reuters

Xi Jinping’s attendance at the G20 this weekend has been all but ruled out after China’s foreign ministry announced the team would be led by the country’s premier, Li Qiang.

It will be the first time a Chinese leader has not attended the G20 leaders’ summit since the first was held in 2008, although Xi attended only virtually in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic.