The upcoming G-20 summit in Johannesburg faces a significant leadership void as Chinese President Xi Jinping has confirmed he will not attend, a decision that follows US President Donald Trump's earlier announced boycott. This means the leaders of the world's two largest economies will be absent from the key international forum.
Key Absences and Official Representation
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday that Premier Li Qiang will represent the nation at the leaders' summit, which begins in Johannesburg on November 22. The official statement did not provide a reason for President Xi's absence, despite his participation in the event last year.
This development compounds the challenges for host nation South Africa, which was already contending with the confirmed non-attendance of US President Donald Trump. Trump's decision came after his controversial and false claims about a genocide against White Afrikaners in the country.
A Summit Missing Major World Powers
The collective absence of Xi, Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin—whose travel is limited by an International Criminal Court arrest warrant—ensures the summit will proceed without the leaders of three of its most influential member nations. The G-20 was specifically created to address pressing geopolitical and economic issues, typically through direct engagement between heads of state.
Analysts note that Xi has significantly reduced his international travel since the pandemic, preferring what Beijing terms "home-court diplomacy." This strategy has seen him host powerful figures like Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi, and Kim Jong Un earlier this year as China seeks to strengthen regional alliances amid its intensifying rivalry with the United States.
Context and Broader Implications
This is not the first time Premier Li has stood in for President Xi at a major international gathering. He previously represented China at the G-20 summit in India in 2023 and a BRICS leaders' meeting in Brazil this past July.
Other G-20 leaders also skipping the Johannesburg event include Argentina's Javier Milei and Mexico's Claudia Sheinbaum. However, the summit will see the participation of several European leaders, as well as Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Despite the high-profile absences, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Lin Jian, emphasized at a regular briefing that the Johannesburg gathering "carries significant historical importance" as the first G-20 summit held on the African continent. He also expressed China's support for South Africa in its role as chair.
Scott Kennedy, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, suggested that Xi's absence should not be interpreted as Beijing downgrading the importance of the event. "I don't see any drop off in their view that those global governance institutions are important avenues for China to communicate its message," Kennedy stated.
