Chinese President Xi Jinping has withdrawn from the G20 summit in Johannesburg; Prime Minister Li Qiang will head China's delegation. For the first time in the group's history, the presidents of the US, Russia and China will all be absent. Russia will send Maxim Oreshkin, while the US had planned to send Vice‑President J.D. Vance after President Trump threatened a boycott with unproven accusations against South Africa. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is due to attend on 22–23 November.
Xi Withdraws from G20 Summit in South Africa — Leaders of US, Russia and China All Absent
Chinese President Xi Jinping has withdrawn from the G20 summit in Johannesburg; Prime Minister Li Qiang will head China's delegation. For the first time in the group's history, the presidents of the US, Russia and China will all be absent. Russia will send Maxim Oreshkin, while the US had planned to send Vice‑President J.D. Vance after President Trump threatened a boycott with unproven accusations against South Africa. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is due to attend on 22–23 November.
01:35 PM, 11/13/2025Politics
Xi withdraws from G20 summit in South Africa
Chinese President Xi Jinping has cancelled his planned appearance at the upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Prime Minister Li Qiang will lead Beijing's delegation later this month.
Xi's decision follows earlier withdrawals by US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. For the first time since the G20's formation, the leaders of the three largest member states—China, the United States and Russia—will all be absent from the summit.
Russia will be represented by Maxim Oreshkin, deputy head of the presidential administration. The United States had planned to send Vice-President J.D. Vance, although President Trump recently threatened to boycott the meeting entirely, making unsubstantiated allegations that South Africa is killing white farmers and illegally confiscating their land.
Those accusations have not been supported with evidence and were not corroborated by independent sources.
The G20 comprises 19 countries plus the European Union and the African Union. Its membership includes major Western democracies such as the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom, alongside governments often described as authoritarian, including Russia, China and Saudi Arabia.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to attend the summit, scheduled for 22–23 November in Johannesburg.
Why it matters: The absence of the three leaders reduces the summit's ceremonial and diplomatic visibility and may limit opportunities for high-level bilateral talks among the world's largest economies. Nevertheless, the meeting will proceed with senior officials and other heads of government in attendance.