(MENAFN) Chinese President Xi Jinping will bypass the forthcoming G20 Summit on African soil, with Premier Li Qiang tapped to represent Beijing in his place, the Foreign Ministry has confirmed.

The G20 gathering is scheduled for November 22-23 in Johannesburg. South Africa took control of the group's rotating leadership in December 2024, marking a watershed moment as the first African nation to helm the influential economic forum. President Cyril Ramaphosa has signaled his nation's chairmanship will prioritize development objectives for Africa and the Global South.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian revealed at Thursday's press briefing that Premier Li will participate at South Africa's invitation, declaring Beijing backs Pretoria's G20 leadership and stands prepared to collaborate with all participants in defending multilateralism and an unrestricted global economy. He further underscored the "historic significance" of the summit convening on African territory for the first time.

The G20 comprises 19 nations alongside the European Union and African Union. The US, which will assume the rotating presidency next, declared last week that no American officials would travel to the Johannesburg meeting. Washington has previously charged Pretoria with promoting an "anti-American" agenda. Ramaphosa stated Thursday that Washington's choice to shun the summit represented "their loss."

Speculation had swirled that the G20 gathering might facilitate discussions between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin, however, announced last month that Putin would not make an in-person appearance, designating presidential aide Maksim Oreshkin to command the Russian delegation instead. Moscow has praised South Africa's presidency as a landmark achievement for the continent and a positive advancement toward reinforcing multilateral cooperation.

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