P4G Seoul Summit Fails to Host US-China Leaders Meeting... John Kerry and Li Keqiang Attend (Summary)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] It has been decided that John Kerry, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, and Li Keqiang, the Premier of China, will attend the P4G (Partnership for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030) Seoul Summit starting on the 30th, instead of U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Park Kyung-mi, the Blue House spokesperson, stated at a briefing at the Blue House on the 28th, "A total of 68 dignitaries from 45 countries, the European Union (EU), and 21 international organizations will attend this P4G."

At the summit level, 42 dignitaries from the EU, the United Kingdom, China, Germany, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Kenya, Colombia, and others will attend, while five high-level officials from the United States, Japan, and other countries will participate.

Specifically, Premier Li will attend from China, Special Envoy Kerry from the United States, and Shinjiro Koizumi, Japan’s Minister of the Environment, will attend from Japan, according to spokesperson Park.

Although President Moon Jae-in expressed his "welcome for President Biden’s participation in P4G" during the joint press conference held immediately after the Korea-U.S. summit, Special Envoy Kerry is attending in place of President Biden. Regarding this, a senior Blue House official said, "There was no special explanation from the U.S. side regarding Biden’s absence, and we were simply notified that Special Envoy Kerry would attend," adding, "What President Moon said should be interpreted as a principled welcome for the U.S. participation."

The official explained, "Special Envoy Kerry will participate via real-time discussion, delivering President Biden’s message during the discussion. Kerry was also a special envoy who played a practical role in the Paris Agreement during his tenure as Secretary of State in 2015, so he will be able to express opinions more thoroughly."

When reporters repeatedly asked about the reason for Biden’s absence, the senior Blue House official refrained from commenting, saying, "It is up to each country’s government to decide which officials attend at what level, so it is not appropriate to evaluate that."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Xi’s attendance, which was uncertain, ultimately did not materialize. A senior Blue House official explained, "President Xi has attended BRICs, the Group of 12 (G12), and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings, while Premier Li has shared roles by attending the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the Korea-China-Japan trilateral summit, and the China-EU summit," adding, "As the head of the national administrative agency overseeing government sectors including the environment, Premier Li is thought to be directly connected to P4G."

The P4G summit will feature a speech session on the 30th, where pre-recorded speeches by leaders will be screened, and a discussion session on the 31st, where leaders will participate directly.

Key figures attending the speech session on the 30th include Charles Michel, President of the European Council; Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Premier Li Keqiang of China; Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany; Emmanuel Macron, President of France; Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia; Sahle-Work Zewde, President of Ethiopia; Ant?nio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations; and Shinjiro Koizumi, Japan’s Minister of the Environment. The Blue House explained, "Attending multilateral meetings via video messages has become a common practice since COVID-19."

Leaders attending the discussion session on the 31st alongside President Moon include Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission; Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark; Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands; Iv?n Duque M?rquez, President of Colombia; Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya; John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate; and Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.