Ankara: Premier Li Qiang is set to represent Beijing at the upcoming G20 Summit in South Africa. The announcement was made by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday.
According to Anadolu Agency, Premier Li will first visit Zambia on Wednesday and Thursday before making his way to Johannesburg for the 20th G20 Summit, scheduled from November 21 to 23. Prior to his African engagements, Li is expected to attend the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Moscow on the preceding Monday and Tuesday.
In related developments, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on the United States to reconsider its stance following President Donald Trump’s decision to boycott the G20 Leaders’ Summit. Trump announced on Friday that no American official would be present at the summit, citing allegations of human rights abuses against the Afrikaner population in South Africa.
South Africa, currently holding the rotating presidency of the G20 since last December, is the first African nation to host the summit of these major economic powers.