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Xi’s Absence Is Going To Be His Loss: Pankaj Saran

By LokMarg 7th September 2023

Former Deputy NSA and Ambassador Pankaj Saran said that the absence of China’s President from the G20 Summit, which is being held under India’s presidency in New Delhi, is “Xi Jinping’s loss”.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will not be attending the G20 Summit rather the delegation will be led by the country’s Premier Li Qiang, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced.

“So far as the Chinese case is concerned, the President should have come. I think his absence is going to be his loss, but he is sending his prime minister. So we will see,” he said.

Notably, the G20, which represents 80 per cent of the world’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product), 75 per cent of global trade and 2/3rd of the global population, is one of the most influential forum for global governance

“We hope that China will participate as an equal, constructive and positive participant of G20 because China’s role in the global economy is important,” he added.

Earlier this week, Quoting foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China statement read, “At the invitation of the government of the Republic of India, Premier of the State Council Li Qiang will attend the 18th G20 Summit to be held in New Delhi, India, on September 9 and 10.”

However, no reason was given in the statement about Xi’s absence from the summit.

Former Deputy NSA Saran further stressed that apart from the countries’ leaders who are not coming for G20, India should also note the presence of other countries like Mauritius, Bangladesh and a few other nations.

“I don’t think we should read too much into the attendance, because on the one hand, you have some people not coming, but on the other hand, you have a lot of other invitees who are coming, the guests of the Indian presidency, such as Mauritius, Bangladesh and a few other countries. So it’s a balance,” he added.

Moreover, he said that since the beginning, the Indian presidency has also said ‘One World, One Earth, One Future’, or ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, highlighting that India wants to reduce global tensions.

“We want to bring everyone together because the world today is badly fractured. It is a tense world. The current international order is under strain, very severe strain. The global economic outlook is not good. So there are so many challenges. If this presidency and this summit can help to contribute to improving the overall atmosphere then we have done our job,” he said.

Earlier noting that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s absence will not cast a shadow on the G20 Summit, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said there have been presidents or Prime Ministers who for some reason have chosen not to come for global meetings and that country’s position is reflected by the representative present on the occasion.

“I do not think it has anything to do with India. I. I think whatever decision they make, they would know best,” Jaishankar said.

In August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Xi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit during which he highlighted India’s concerns over the unresolved issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), in Ladakh.

The two leaders agreed to direct their relevant officials “to intensify efforts at expeditious disengagement and de-escalation”. (ANI)