CaliToday (16/11/2025): Premier Li Qiang will represent China in Johannesburg, a move analysts say signals shifting priorities and deepens concerns over global cooperation.
In a significant move that has surprised diplomatic circles, China confirmed today that President Xi Jinping will not attend the upcoming G20 Leaders' Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The announcement, delivered in a brief statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that Premier Li Qiang, the nation's second-highest-ranking official, will lead the Chinese delegation instead.
This last-minute decision by President Xi to skip the premier global economic forum scheduled to begin next week is being widely interpreted as both a sign of pressing domestic concerns and a calculated geopolitical pivot, further straining relations with the West.
A Blow to Global Diplomacy
The absence of the leader of the world's second-largest economy is a considerable blow to the summit's agenda and its host, South Africa, which (as a fellow BRICS member) had hoped to leverage its position to foster global dialogue.
The G20 was established to bring the world's most powerful leaders together to tackle critical global challenges. This year's agenda is packed with urgent issues, including:
Global Debt Restructuring: Coordinated action on sovereign debt for developing nations, a process where China is the single largest creditor.
Climate Change Goals: Securing new commitments for the green transition.
Geopolitical Conflicts: Ongoing diplomatic efforts surrounding the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
"Without Xi Jinping at the table, any meaningful progress on issues like debt relief or unified climate action is severely handicapped," said a senior fellow in Asian studies at a leading think tank. "Premier Li is capable, but he does not carry the same ultimate authority as Xi. Decisions will be deferred."
Why is Xi Skipping? Analysts Weigh In
While Beijing cited "scheduling conflicts" as the official reason, analysts point to a confluence of deeper strategic factors:
Domestic Focus: China's economy continues to face significant domestic headwinds, from a persistent property crisis to sluggish consumer demand. President Xi may be signaling that his immediate priority is stabilizing the economy and consolidating political control at home.
A "Post-Western" Foreign Policy: This marks the second consecutive year Xi has skipped the G20 leaders' meeting. It aligns with his increasing preference for non-Western forums like the BRICS (which successfully expanded under his guidance) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Analysts suggest Xi now sees these platforms, rather than the G20, as the primary venues for shaping his vision of a "multipolar" world order.
U.S.-China Tensions: The move effectively scuttles any chance of a high-stakes bilateral meeting between President Xi and U.S. President Joe Biden. With relations already tense over trade, technology, and Taiwan, the lack of leader-to-leader dialogue removes a crucial "guardrail" for managing competition.
Implications for the Summit
The decision has cast a pall over the Johannesburg summit before it even begins.
"It's a clear snub," a European diplomat stated anonymously. "It signals that Beijing no longer sees the G20, which is dominated by the U.S. and its G7 allies, as the most relevant institution for global governance. This is a clear indicator of a fracturing world."
As Premier Li prepares to travel, the world's other leaders must now recalibrate their expectations, facing the stark reality that consensus on the globe's most pressing problems has just become significantly harder to achieve.