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The G20 Summit, an annual event that brings together world leaders from the largest economies, is scheduled for Sept. 9-10 in New Delhi, India. Chinese President Xi Jinping will not be present and will instead send a representative.
Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan argues that Xi’s absence at the summit raises concerns about China’s leadership. He believes that this summit is precisely what China needs, given its ongoing economic challenges.
Excerpted from the Sept. 6 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:
The announcement that Xi Jinping won’t be attending the upcoming G20 Summit is the equivalent of friends coming together for your intervention, and you turn around as soon as you see their cars parked down the road. With China facing economic slowdown, trade wars, and a slew of other things, an intervention (aka the G20 Summit) is exactly what Xi needs right now.
While some speculate that Xi is moving away from G20 in favor of BRICS, he didn’t even show up to the opening ceremony of the BRICS business forum. So, this announcement doesn’t indicate any political angle; it’s just a reminder of Chinese leadership’s ongoing and accelerating failure.
Xi has purged the Chinese political system of anyone who can form thoughts and potentially challenge his power, leaving him as the judge, jury, executioner, and everything else of importance in China. Even if Xi happened to be the smartest person in the world (which I won’t even comment on), he is still human.
Xi can only do so much alone, and the lack of competence across the Chinese system means that policy stalls wherever Xi is not. While Xi will send a replacement to the summit, concerns over China’s leadership capabilities are mounting, and the question remains – what is next for the Chinese people?
