G20 Summit: Jaishankar lauds China's role, says nothing to read into Xi's absence

The Chinese President’s decision to skip the G20 Leaders’ Summit hosted by India has been seen as the latest setback for the two Asian giants’ bilateral ties

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar praised China for its role in the G20 agreeing on a joint statement while dismissing suggestions that Chinese President Xi Jinping's decision to skip the Leaders' Summit was an affront to India.

The heads of state of China, which was represented by Premier Li Qiang in New Delhi, and Russia gave the Summit a miss. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attended the meeting of global leaders in place of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"It's for every country to decide at what level they would be represented. I don't think one should overly read meanings into it," Jaishankar told reporters on September 9 after the G20 reached a surprisingly quick agreement on a joint statement.

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"What I think is important is what is the position which the country has taken, how much the country has contributed to the deliberations and the outcomes. And I would say here that all the G20 members, and since the question was asked specifically about China, I would say China as well," Jaishankar said. He added that China had been "very supportive" of the various outcomes.

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India and China enjoy a fractious relationship, with Jinping's decision to skip the Summit hosted by the G20 Presidency in the Indian capital of New Delhi widely seen as the latest setback for the two Asian giants' bilateral ties, which have previously been described by Jaishankar as "abnormal".

"There are real problems in that relationship, that need to be looked at, that need to be discussed very openly and candidly between us," Jaishankar had said at the conclusion of the Foreign Ministers' Meeting back in March, adding that his discussions with his Chinese counterpart at the meeting included "peace and tranquillity along the border".

China has said that it had supported India's hosting of the Summit and relations between the two countries "remain stable" and Beijing is willing to work with New Delhi to better them.

Incidentally, Jinping is busy hosting Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro – both heavily indebted nations – starting September 8. China has a key role to play in easing debt distress – one of the Indian Presidency's G20 priorities – given its status as a major creditor.