German government "regrets" decision of China's Xi not to attend G20

The German government regrets the decision of Chinese President Xi Jinping not to attend a G20 summit taking place in New Delhi from Sept. 9, a spokesperson said on Monday.

China will be represented by Premier Li Qiang, not President Xi Jinping, while Russia has confirmed President Vladimir Putin's absence, suggesting that neither nation is likely to join any consensus.

Speaking at a regular news conference on Monday, a German government spokesperson said that China would nonetheless be represented by a senior delegation and would therefore be "capable of negotiating".