• China says Premier Li Qiang will attend instead of President Xi Jinping
• The U.S. and Russia also confirm they will not be represented at the summit
• Pretoria plans to focus talks on debt, energy transition, and climate resilience

China has said that Xi Jinping will not travel to Johannesburg for the G20 summit scheduled for November 22 and 23. The announcement came from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which said the delegation will be led by Premier Li Qiang.

This development comes only days after an announcement from the United States. On November 8, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that no member of his administration would attend the G20 summit. In a post on Truth Social, he referred to violence targeting white farmers in South Africa, accusations that Pretoria called unfounded.

While China did not explain Xi Jinping’s absence, even though he attended the previous summit, several analysts said the country still sees the G20 as an important forum for international dialog. Scott Kennedy, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Bloomberg that he sees no indication that China is pulling back from global governance institutions, which he said remain key platforms for advancing its message.

These two absences add to that of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose travel remains restricted due to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. Argentine President Javier Milei and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum have also announced they will not attend.

These successive decisions raise questions about the weight of the summit. South Africa, which holds the G20 presidency for the first time, sees this role as an important step toward strengthening African economies’ contribution to global economic discussions. Pretoria has said it wants to refocus talks on debt sustainability, the energy transition, and climate resilience in developing countries, while stressing the need to overcome trade barriers and geopolitical risks weighing on global growth.