Xi planning to skip G-20 summit while China-India tensions mount; China Premier Li, however, will attend Asean meet in Jakarta

The International Convention Centre 'Bharat Mandapam' the venue for the upcoming G20 Summit scheduled to be held next month, pictured in New Delhi on August 31, 2023. - AFP

JAKARTA (Bloomberg): Chinese President Xi Jinping is planning to skip next week’s Group of 20 summit in New Delhi, according to officials familiar with preparations for the meeting, a snub that’s likely to aggravate an already rocky relationship with India.

Tensions between China and India - the world’s two most populous countries - already threaten to prevent G-20 leaders from issuing a joint communique for the first time since the forum was created in 1999, according to separate people familiar with the situation. Xi’s non-attendance would be a further blow for the host, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.