USA: ‘Not for me to answer’ – WH Spox on reports of China’s Xi not attending upcoming G20 Summit

« White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre avoided answering the question of whether or not Chinese President Xi Jinping would attend the upcoming G20 Summit in New Delhi during a press briefing on Thursday in Washington DC. Jean-Pierre said that she would leave the query to be answered by Xi’s spokesperson.
« The [US] president has said multiple times that he is looking forward to continuing his engagement and conversation with President Xi. He is looking forward to having this conversation, to continuing this ongoing engagement. As far as President Xi’s participation or attendance that this is just really for his government to speak to it, » she added.
Jean-Pierre’s remarks come after reports mentioned that the Chinese president is likely to skip the summit in India.
The White House spokesperson also declared that no president has put the US in a stronger position to outcompete China than President Biden, stressing that the competition between both countries requires ‘intense diplomacy’.
« That is what it means to manage these types of relationships. We welcome it, and we think it has been important to move forward in that direction, » Jean-Pierre noted.
When asked about Biden’s upcoming trip to Hanoi and the US Vice President’s attendance at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, Jean-Pierre said that the Indo-Pacific relationship is incredibly valuable for Washington and both authorities will work to deepen that engagement.
The ASEAN Summit will kick off on Friday, and leaders from several countries in the Indo-Pacific will flock to Jakarta to take part in the four-day event. »



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