Biden expressed his disappointment over news that Chinese President Xi will not attend the G20 summit in India
US Vice President Joe Biden expressed disappointment over news that his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, would not attend this week’s G-20 conference in New Delhi.
When questioned about hints that Xi won’t attend the leaders’ summit, Biden told reporters in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Sunday, “I am sad, but I am going to get to meet him.
The location of their potential next meeting was not disclosed by Biden. If Xi chooses not to go to Delhi, he and Biden may meet when the US hosts the APEC summit in San Francisco in November.
According to individuals involved with the summit preparations who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Xi does not want to go to the Indian capital for the summit. The move, which comes as tensions between China and India are rising, is expected to further sour ties between the two countries.
According to a source acquainted with the situation, Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend the conference in lieu of Xi, while a second source said it would be a different unnamed government figure.
When Biden and Xi last talked, it was in November on the margins of the G-20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia. However, their conversation was cut short when an alleged Chinese surveillance balloon allegedly flew over the US.
The two nations have deep-seated differences on a number of issues, ranging from Taiwan—which was exacerbated in part by US lawmakers’ visits to the island and the president of Taiwan’s visit to the country—to Biden’s export restrictions on semiconductor technology, allegations of Chinese spying from Cuba, and the balloon incident.
High-ranking members of the Biden administration, such as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Climate Envoy John Kerry, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, have visited China recently in an effort to strengthen relations.
The G-20 summit in India was anticipated by the US to be the next step in de-icing the relationship with China.
Last week, Biden said that he “hopes” Xi would attend the conference.
