As China's Prez Xi Jinping misses out on G20 Summit, experts estimate his global diplomacy

In the backdrop of world leaders meeting in person to attend the G20 Summit in Rome, China's President Xi Jinping addressed the summit virtually owing to a resurgence of COVID-19 infection in the country. Reportedly, the Communist China Party supremo has sealed himself behind the fear of the spread of SARS-CoV-2 as against the international image that he is not expected to resume his globe-trotting diplomacy in the near future. 

Seemingly, COVID is perceived as the Chinese President's overt reason for not exiting the country, reports suggest that Xi Jinping has not left China in 21 months, except his last visit to Tibet on July 26, 2021. Notably, the CCP supremo has also not met his American counterpart, Joe Biden who assumed office in January 2021. 

The New York Times (NYT) has reported that Jinping is set to address the climate talks in the coming week at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) virtually where the country's commitment to 'curbing' the carbon emissions is seen as imperative to eradicating the brunt and dreadful repercussion of climate change. China's ambition to position itself as an alternative to the American leadership has had a big blow due to the absence of Xi Jinping which has contributed to the 'sharp deterioration' in its relation with the other countries around the globe, it added. 

As Jinping is expected to continue in office for another five years, the leader is occupied with protecting his health and internal political machinations, resulting in the low priority of the in-person diplomacy for the President than it was in his first year in office, according to the US-based newspaper. 

Notably, since Jinping made concessions to lock an agreement on investment with the European Union, he has not accepted an invitation to hold a meeting. 

NYT quoted a senior analyst with the Mercator Institute of China Studies in Berlin, Helena Legarda as saying on Jinping's travels, "It eliminates or reduces opportunities for engagements at the top leadership level."

"Diplomatically speaking, in-person meetings are very often fundamental to try and overcome leftover obstacles in any sort of agreement or to try or reduce tensions," NYT further quoted her as saying. 

NYT quoted a professor of political science at the University of California, Shih as saying, "He no longer feels that he needs international support because he has so much domestic support or domestic control. This general effort to court America and also the European countries is less today than it was during his first term."

Image: AP