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Xi, Putin to attend G-20 Summit in Indonesia

Bloomberg could not initially obtain confirmation of Putin and Xi’s attendance plans from Russian and Chinese sources…reports Asian Lite News

Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping are both expected to attend the G20 summit in Bali in November, Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced.

“Xi Jinping will come. President Putin has also told me he will come,” dpa news agency quoted Widodo as saying to Bloomberg in an interview published on Friday.

Indonesia currently holds the G20 presidency.

Widodo had invited Putin but the Kremlin has so far not confirmed the Russian President’s plans either way.

Bloomberg could not initially obtain confirmation of Putin and Xi’s attendance plans from Russian and Chinese sources.

Putin’s participation in the summit is considered problematic in the West amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and several countries have put in doubt whether they would participate if he attended in person.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also been invited.

China is also experiencing heightened tensions with the US that were exacerbated by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan, which was followed by a US congressional delegation visiting Taipei.

Beijing called the moves provocations and launched large-scale military manoeuvres around the democratic island republic in response.

Indonesia is seeking trade and investment and is not seeking to join any bloc, Widodo told Bloomberg.

“Indonesia wants to be friends with everyone,” he said.

“We don’t have problems with any country.”

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Kremlin denies reports of Xi refusing to visit Russia

Earlier, the media reported that the Chinese President refused to visit Moscow in response to the invitation from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin…reports Asian Lite News

Earlier, the media reported that the Chinese President refused to visit Moscow in response to the invitation from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has denied media reports suggesting that Chinese President Xi Jinping refused to visit Russia.

“This is not true. This is completely untrue. The fact is that certain Covid restrictions in China continue, and this is absolutely normal, and this should be treated with understanding,” RT quoted Peskov as saying.

“And as all these relaxations of these restrictions allow, of course, all visits will be carried out,” he said.

Earlier, the media reported that the Chinese President refused to visit Moscow in response to the invitation from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

As reported, the Russian leader invited Xi during a telephone call on June 15.

Peskov said that the country’s Ministry of Defence has its own plans in connection with the launch of the process of Finland and Sweden joining NATO.

“Such options are being worked out not in the Kremlin, but in the Ministry. We have already said many times that there are relevant plans there and work is being done to ensure our security,” Peskov said.

Thus, he answered the question whether the Kremlin is considering the option of placing a NATO base on the border with Russia and how Moscow can respond in this regard.

At the same time, Peskov added that Putin had already assessed the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO.

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