By Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Aug 31: Chinese President Xi Jinping is reportedly set to skip the upcoming summit of G20 leaders scheduled to be held in India next week. According to sources cited by Reuters, Premier Li Qiang is expected to represent Beijing at the summit.
The exact reason behind President Xi’s decision to skip the summit remains undisclosed, as neither the Indian nor Chinese foreign ministries have offered explanations. However, experts speculate that tension over China’s assertion of territorial claims over the entire Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin through its 2023 “standard map of China” may have played a role in Xi’s decision.
The inclusion of these disputed territories on the map has escalated tensions between the two countries, leading to a firm response from New Delhi to protect its sovereignty. Both countries have seen increased militarisation, especially along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at the Indo-Tibetan border over the last year.
Despite diplomatic efforts from the Indian side, the border tensions between China and India continue to persist. During the 2023 BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached a diplomatic commitment to de-escalate and maintain peace and tranquility along the border. The 19th round of Corps Commander-level talks between India and China took place at the Chushul border meeting point in Eastern Ladakh from August 14-15. However, similar to previous rounds of dialogue, the talks did not yield any significant breakthrough in terms of the disengagement of troops on either side.
Several G20 ministerial meetings in India ahead of the summit have been met with resistance as China in May boycotted the G20 ‘Third Tourism Working Group Meeting’ in Srinagar, Kashmir. Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson, Wang Wenbin issued a firm statement, “China firmly opposes holding any form of G20 meeting in disputed areas.” China has earlier made it clear that it will not attend any meetings in Ladakh, a disputed territory along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China which both countries claim parts of.
The G20 meeting is a forum created to address global financial and economic issues. The G20 members represent around 85% of the global GDP, over 75% of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.
