Xi Jinping will not attend this month’s G20 summit in South Africa, a blow to the host as it welcomes the bloc’s first leaders’ meeting on African soil. The absence of China and a US boycott announced by President Donald Trump means the leaders of the world’s two largest economies will be missing; leaders from Argentina and Mexico are also absent, and Russia’s leader is barred by an international arrest warrant. Bloomberg says many leaders are shifting to “home‑court diplomacy,” favoring bilateral talks over multilateral gatherings, which may limit the summit’s scope.
Xi Jinping to Skip G20 Summit — Blow to South Africa as Several Key Leaders Sit Out
Xi Jinping will not attend this month’s G20 summit in South Africa, a blow to the host as it welcomes the bloc’s first leaders’ meeting on African soil. The absence of China and a US boycott announced by President Donald Trump means the leaders of the world’s two largest economies will be missing; leaders from Argentina and Mexico are also absent, and Russia’s leader is barred by an international arrest warrant. Bloomberg says many leaders are shifting to “home‑court diplomacy,” favoring bilateral talks over multilateral gatherings, which may limit the summit’s scope.
01:55 PM, 11/14/2025Politics
Xi Jinping to skip G20 summit
China’s leader Xi Jinping has confirmed he will not attend this month’s G20 leaders’ summit in South Africa, dealing a diplomatic setback to the host as it prepares to stage the bloc’s first leaders’ meeting on African soil.
Xi’s decision means the summit will be missing the heads of the world’s two largest economies: China and the United States. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump announced that no American officials would attend, citing alleged mistreatment of South Africa’s white population. The presidents of Argentina and Mexico will also be absent, and Russia’s leader cannot attend because of an international arrest warrant.
Bloomberg reports that Xi, like many other global leaders, has shifted toward “home‑court diplomacy,” favoring bilateral meetings over traditional multilateral forums. These high-profile absences reduce the summit’s diplomatic weight and could complicate efforts to reach broad agreements on trade, finance and geopolitical issues.
Why this matters: The G20 is a key forum for coordinating global economic policy. Significant leader absences can limit the summit’s visibility, impede consensus-building and weaken outcomes on pressing international challenges.