US President Joe Biden on Thursday hoped that his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping would attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi. Biden, along with more than two dozen world leaders, is scheduled to attend the G20 Summit in New Delhi next week that is being hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Recent media reports said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are not likely to attend the summit.

"The answer is I hope he attends the G20 Summit," Biden told reporters Thursday when asked if he is expecting President Xi to attend the meet. Meanwhile, Farwa Aamer, Director of South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI), said that President Xi's skipping of the G20 Summit in India could be seen as evidence that China at this point of time is reluctant to cede the centre stage to India. "Perhaps the most significant development so far, which some may say was expected, has been President Xi's decision to skip the upcoming G20 Summit hosted by India. This move carries multifaceted implications. "Firstly, it can be inferred that China is reluctant to cede the centre stage to India, particularly within the region and the broader neighbourhood.