Beijing confirms Xi Jinping will attend G-20 summit

China on Friday confirmed President Xi Jinping will attend both the meeting of the Group of 20 industrialized countries and the gathering of Asian Pacific nations this month in his first major overseas trip since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Friday that Xi would meet with U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders on the sidelines of the twin summits, with the G-20 coming first in Indonesia followed immediately by the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Thailand.

Xi has largely avoided foreign travel since the beginning of the outbreak while China adheres to its strict "zero-COVID" policy mandating lockdowns and quarantines.

The meetings come after Xi was granted a third five-year term as leader of the ruling Communist Party and amid simmering disputes with the U.S. and others over trade and territorial claims.

Zhao condemned a statement by President Biden's national security advisor Jake Sullivan that the U.S would brief Taiwan on the result of the Biden-Xi meeting, calling the move "egregious in nature" and "a great violation".

China is against any official exchanges between Taiwan's government and other foreign governments because it claims Taiwan is part of its national territory and not an independent country.

Zhao also commented on China's latest COVID-19 policies that would shorten quarantine for inbound travelers from seven days to five days, saying that was part of the efforts to make the country's COVID containment "more science-based and precise."

The announcement came as an upsurge in COVID-19 cases prompted Beijing to close parks and impose other restrictions.

Separately, Zhao expressed support for the review by a group of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency on the safety of treated nuclear-contamination water discharged from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Japan's plan to discharge treated radioactive water into the sea has been fiercely opposed by fishermen, local residents and Japan's neighbors, including China and South Korea.