Xi Jinping to skip G20 Summit; Chinese Premier Li Qiang to fly to New Delhi

New Delhi: Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to skip a summit of G20 leaders in India next week, Reuters reported on Thursday quoting sources familiar with the matter in India and China.

The report claimed that Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to represent Beijing at the Sept. 9-10 meeting in New Delhi.

Li is also likely to attend a summit of East and Southeast Asian leaders in Jakarta, Indonesia on Sept 5-7.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Modi to express his inability to attend the G20 Summit.

Reuters report claimed that a senior government official from India accepted to be aware about premier Li’s attendance.

Earlier this month, Modi and Xi held the conversation on the sidelines of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit in Johannesburg, amid continuing strain in bilateral ties in view of the lingering border standoff in eastern Ladakh.

This development leaves India's main opposition Congress disappointed as it would puncture the grand old party's plan to embarrass Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi using Xi's name during G20 Summit.

Congress had already started speculations about Xi's welcome to be accorded by India during the summit.

It had made a mockery of the Modi-Xi meeting during the BRICS Summit using an edited video appearing as if the Indian Prime Minister was standing in front of the Chinese president.

During the BRICS Summit, Congress scion Rahul Gandhi planned a Ladakh visit and claimed that China has usurped thousands of acres of Indian land which the Indian government has been vehemently denying.

Gandhi is scheduled to visit Europe during the summit where he is expected to attack India on the expected lines.

Watch: How India-bashing from Europe during G20 Summit will backfire for Rahul Gandhi

Watch: China or Kashmir, an attempt to blame Modi for Nehru's mistakes?

India has been retaliating to Chinese aggression on its borders by restricting imports from China, the recent being the complete ban on imports of laptops after October 2023.