According to four sources with knowledge of the conversation, China has voiced concerns about the US hosting the Group of 20 nations in 2026 as it has already been announced by President Joe Biden’s administration.
The US has stated that it will assume the chairmanship of the G20 when India, Brazil, and South Africa have finished their individual one-year terms, which includes the annual summit of world leaders.
China’s complaint, which is reportedly supported by Russia, is primarily symbolic because it’s unlikely that the judgement will be overturned. Since the negotiations taking place outside of the current G20 summit in India are secret, the people wanted to remain anonymous.
The Financial Times broke the news of the Chinese action first.
They didn’t know the basis for China’s complaints, but Beijing requested that its disapproval be noted. By the end of 2025, nevertheless, every member will have hosted at least one summit, marking the moment at which the cycle will restart. In 2008, the US held the inaugural G20 meeting in Washington.
In an effort to upset that tradition, China has been at odds with the US over topics ranging from Taiwan to export restrictions for technology. Vladimir Putin of Russia and Chinese President Xi Jinping are both absent from the G20 summit in New Delhi.
The members of the regional sub-groups that make up the G20 pick which region will host the summit. The United States is in a group with Saudi Arabia, Canada, and Australia.Requests for comment from the White House were not immediately fulfilled.
Earlier on Saturday, US Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer told reporters in New Delhi that the current and upcoming G20 chairs are India, Brazil, and South Africa – “the three democratic members of the BRICS” group that also includes China and Russia.