At the next G20 summit in South Africa, a situation sharply different from the traditional one is observed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China announced on November 13 that the country will be represented at the summit not by President Xi Jinping, but by Premier of the State Council Li Xian.
According to the announcement, at the official invitation of the South African government, Li Qian will represent Beijing at the G20 summit to be held in Johannesburg on November 21-23. This is his second appearance on the G20 stage: last year he also headed the Chinese delegation at the summit in New Delhi.
However, the most noteworthy aspect of this year's meeting is that it is being held for the first time since 2008 without the heads of the three largest member states of the G20. US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin refused to participate in the summit.
Trump said this was due to the South African government's "absolutely bad policy" and stated that the US would not participate in this summit at all. Earlier, during Cyril Ramaphosa's visit to the White House, Trump issued a harsh statement accusing him of "mass killing of white farmers" in South Africa.
On the Moscow side, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin will not personally attend the summit, but the Russian delegation will participate "at the proper level."
Thus, the Johannesburg summit once again demonstrates the exchange of leaders on the global political stage, a new dynamic in relations between states, and a changing format of great powers.
Li Qiang's participation in the summit demonstrates Beijing's intention to maintain its position in the global dialogue and continue its steady participation in economic and geopolitical relations.
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