Indonesian leader Joko Widodo to meet Xi Jinping in China next week
- Widodo will be the first foreign leader to meet Xi in person since the Beijing Winter Games in February
- Xi’s attendance at the G20 summit in Bali in November is likely to be high on the agenda, observer says
The Indonesian leader will meet Xi and also Premier Li Keqiang during the two-day visit from Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters during a daily briefing on Thursday.
“China looks forward to the visit of President Widodo to further deepen mutual strategic trust and practical cooperation between the two sides, and to build a model of mutual benefit and a win-win situation,” Wang said.
The Chinese president has not had any face-to-face talks with foreign leaders since early February, when Beijing hosted the Winter Olympics. Then, Xi held a series of meetings – with visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin, Singaporean President Halimah Yacob as well as the leaders of Serbia, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
“If he does go [in person], this will be a breakthrough,” Pang said.
He has instead been taking part in international meetings via video link, including last year’s G20 summit, when other world leaders such as US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gathered in Rome.