Jagannath Panda was quoted in Nikkei Asia on Xi’s absence at the India G20 summit and India-China relations
September 8, 2023: Jagannath Panda, Head of the Stockholm Center for South Asian and Indo-Pacific Affairs, was quoted in Nikkei Asia on Xi’s absence at the India G20 summit and India-China relations.
One theory for why Xi will skip the event is that China seeks to undermine rival India’s efforts to present itself as a state with growing diplomatic and geopolitical clout. Xi’s apparent decision to skip the summit is a reflection of the “discord” he feels with India, said Jagannath Panda.
“Modi’s leadership and stage management portray India as a front-line state in the Global South and the Indo-Pacific, which comes as a challenge to Xi’s China,” Jagannath Panda told Nikkei Asia, adding that Xi’s absence will “create a vacuum that the world will notice.”