China confirms Xi Jinping to attend G20 summit

The COVID-19 pandemic and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s aversion to foreign travel has prevented him from meeting US President Joe Biden in person in the past 22 months. (Reuters)

• The White House has already confirmed Biden and Xi will meet on November 14 on the sidelines of the G20 summit

BEIJING: President Xi Jinping will attend the G20 summit in Indonesia from November 14 to 17, China’s foreign ministry confirmed on Friday.
He will then travel to Thailand from November 17 to 19 to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular press briefing Xi will meet US President Joe Biden and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron next week in Bali, as well as Senegal’s Macky Sall and Argentina’s Alberto Fernandez.
The White House has already confirmed Biden and Xi will meet on November 14 on the sidelines of the G20 summit, in their first in-person talks since the US leader became president.
The two met prior to Biden taking office and have spoken by phone a number of times over the past 22 months, but the COVID-19 pandemic and Xi’s aversion to foreign travel has prevented them from meeting in person.
Their meeting during the G20 comes after Xi last month was awarded a landmark third term as leader of the Chinese Communist Party.
The US and China have a massive investment and trade relationship but are also challenging each other’s military and diplomatic influence, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.