G20 summit: China digs in on Ukraine, climate even in Xi Jinping’s absence

China is emerging as a block on negotiations in the run-up to a meeting of Group of 20 leaders, with the UK accusing Beijing of obstructing measures to tackle climate change and refusing to back language condemning Russia’s war on Ukraine.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that with China objecting to proposals on Ukraine and Climate, G20 nations had yet to reach agreement on a joint statement going into the two-day summit in New Delhi, Bloomberg reports.

“We are not there yet,” Sunak said. Those two topics, climate and Ukraine, will dominate discussions over the weekend, Sunak added describing negotiations between government officials so far as “challenging”.

Chinese President Xi Jinping decided to skip G20 amid deteriorating relations with both the US and the summit host, India.

The G20 summit will be held in the capital of India - New Delhi on September 9-10.