Chinese President Xi Jinping Skips Global Summits to Visit Flood-Affected Villagers: What Does It Mean for West-China Relations?

Chinese President Xi Jinping made a surprising move this week by opting out of attending global summits and instead visiting flood-affected villagers in northeast China. In the village of Longwangmiao in Heilongjiang province, Xi encouraged the residents to stay resilient and work towards rebuilding their lives amidst the aftermath of the devastating floods. Record rainfall in July and August caused widespread damage in northern China, particularly in areas unaccustomed to such powerful storms.

However, it was only this week that Xi made his first visit to the disaster-hit areas. Inspecting rice crops and damaged homes in Longwangmiao, which were battered by remnants of super typhoon Doksuri, Xi skipped the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Indonesia and will also miss the upcoming G20 conclave in India where he was supposed to meet with US President Joe Biden. This delay in visiting disaster-stricken areas is in contrast to Xi's predecessors, Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin, who were known for their more prompt responses.

Alfred Wu, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore, noted that these delays are common in Xi's regime and may be attributed to centralization of power. However, this has raised concerns as Xi's absence at the G20 summit could possibly indicate Beijing's increasing coolness towards the West and its allies. Although China has not provided an explanation for Xi's absence at the G20 summit, it is speculated that attending the BRICS summit in South Africa was a higher priority for him.

Alfredo Montufar-Helu, head of think tank The Conference Board's China Center, explained that the G20 summit has no strategic goal for Xi, and there is also the risk of criticism from the US and its allies. Instead, Western leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron and US State Secretary Antony Blinken have had to come to China to meet with Xi. From a geopolitical perspective, attending the BRICS summit and addressing the domestic situation in China would be more pressing for Xi at this time. The economic slowdown and natural disasters have had a significant impact on people's livelihoods, making it a priority for Xi to focus on handling these domestic challenges.