Xi's recent absence from the global stage has complicated China's ambition to position itself as an alternative to American leadership
Xi Jinping, China’s leader, has not left the country in nearly two years, and has yet to meet President Biden in person, possible signals of a deeper shift in China’s foreign and domestic policy.
Image: REUTERS/ Carlos Garcia Rawlins
When the presidents and prime ministers of the Group of 20 nations meet in Rome this weekend, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, will not be among them. Nor is he expected at the climate talks next week in Glasgow, Scotland, where China’s commitment to curbing carbon emissions is seen as crucial to helping blunt the dire consequences of climate change. He has yet to meet President Joe Biden in person and seems unlikely to anytime soon.
Xi has not left China in 21 months — and counting.
The ostensible reason for Xi’s lack of foreign travel is COVID-19, though officials have not said so explicitly. It is also a calculation that has reinforced a deeper shift in China’s foreign and domestic policy.
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