Cape Town – Beijing has officially confirmed that Premier Li Qiang will attend the 2025 G20 Johannesburg Summit from 21–23 November in South Africa, while President Xi Jinping will not be present, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced.
According to a statement issued by the ministry, Li was invited by the South African government to represent China at the gathering. The brief communiqué offered no explanation for Xi’s absence.
During a regular press briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the Johannesburg meeting “carries historic significance” as the first G20 summit to be hosted on African soil. He added:
“China supports South Africa’s G20 presidency and will work with all parties under the theme ‘Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability’ to build consensus on multilateralism, open trade and global development.”
A post shared by state broadcaster CCTV+ further reiterated the announcement, noting that Li will attend the summit at South Africa’s invitation.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend the 20th Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Johannesburg from November 21 to 23 at the invitation of the government of the Republic of South Africa, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a press briefing in Beijing on November 13.
The spokesman… pic.twitter.com/RKLCGbB6AB— CCTV+ (@CCTV_Plus) November 14, 2025
Political analyst Angelo Fick urged against overinterpreting Xi’s absence. “I think we should be very careful about looking for signs and wonders where there aren’t any.
“This is not the first summit that President Xi has not attended … I don’t think this is a sign that China is re-aligning away from BRICS or away from its Global South priorities,” he told IOL.
From the host country’s side, the summit remains significant despite several high-level absences. President Cyril Ramaphosa has downplayed concerns, stressing that the event will proceed as planned.
China’s statement also confirms that Premier Li will travel to Russia for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) heads-of-government meeting on 17–18 November, before making an official visit to Zambia from 19–20 November, ahead of the G20 summit in Johannesburg.
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Compiled by Lisabeal Nqamqhele
