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Jaishankar downplays Xi, Putin's absence at G20 Summit: ‘At different points in time…’
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will not be attending the two-day G20 summit in the New Delhi.
External affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has downplayed the decision of Chinese President Xi Jinping to skip the G20 Summit in New Delhi, saying its position will be reflected by the representative present at the annual meeting. In an interview with news agency ANI, Jaishankar said that the absence of the heads of state at G20 Summit is not new and at different points in time there have been some Presidents or PMs who have chosen not to come.
"I think, at different points of time in G20 there have been some Presidents or PMs who, for whatever reason, have chosen not to come themselves. But that country and its position is reflected by whoever is the representative on that occasion...I think everybody is coming with a great deal of seriousness," Jaishankar said.
Leaders from the world's top economies will be arriving in India on Friday for a two-day G20 summit. While India has coined the optimistic slogan “One Earth, One Family, One Future” for the Summit, the G20 leaders are riven by differences and strategic fault lines. The G20 consists of 19 countries and the European Union, making up about 85 per cent of the global GDP and two-thirds of the world's population.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have decided to skip the gathering in New Delhi.
The Chinese delegation will be led by Premier Li Qiang, China's foreign ministry announced on Monday as it expressed Beijing's readiness to work with all parties to make the high-profile meeting a success.
China's decision to skip the G20 Summit in New Delhi is seen by many as reflection of the troubled state of India-China relations. Asia Society Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy Daniel Russel said Xi recently travelled to South Africa to attend a BRICS summit in person.
“So, his decision to skip this week’s G-20 in New Delhi is significant," Russel said.
“The tensions between Delhi and Beijing, and the apparent animosity between the two leaders, seems the likeliest explanation — but we do not know. Not even offering an alibi makes it look like Xi Jinping is snubbing Modi — it points to the troubled state of PRC-Indian relations," he said.
