Xi’s conspicuous absence

President Xi Jinping is skipping a summit of global leaders [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Welcome to Balance of Power, bringing you the latest in global politics. If you haven’t yet, sign up [here](. President Xi Jinping is set to snub the Group of 20 summit in India this weekend for the first time since coming to power. While the Chinese president’s reason for [skipping is unknown](, one thing is clear: The G-20 looks more divided than ever. China alone is feuding with multiple members, including Japan over the release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant and the US over everything from Beijing’s access to core future technologies and the status of Taiwan. China and India, the summit host, are also once again at odds over a territorial dispute along their shared border, after Beijing published a map laying claim to land both sides deem their own. While China regularly spars with those countries, Xi’s approach now appears different than at the last G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, some 10 months ago. Back then, he said it was the job of a global statesman to “get along with other countries.” And it’s not just China: It’s unclear if the compromise reached at the Bali meeting over the language to describe Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine will hold this year. That could mean the group doesn’t put out a joint communique for the first time since its founding in 1999. After presiding over an expansion of the BRICS group of emerging economies in Johannesburg last month, Xi now looks to prefer attending gatherings where he’s going to get along with the other invitees — and not be asked awkward questions about his faltering economy or human rights record. The same may be true for Putin, who also isn’t attending. Even if the meetings in New Delhi are smoother without them, the world ultimately could be entering an even rockier period. — [Jenni Marsh]( Xi and Putin at the Kremlin on March 21. Photographer: Pavel Byrkin/AFP/Getty Images Global Must Reads In his most significant wartime cabinet shakeup, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy [nominated a new defense minister]( as Kyiv ramps up an anti-graft crackdown and presses a grinding offensive in the country’s occupied south. Zelenskiy named Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s State Property Fund, to replace Oleksii Reznikov, who’s battled allegations of graft in military procurement by subordinates on his watch. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will seek to persuade Putin today [to revive]( a United Nations-backed Black Sea grain deal, but a barrage of Russian drone strikes on Ukrainian port facilities set a somber tone just before their meeting in the Russian resort town of Sochi. Escalating violence in Arab Israeli cities is stoking broader tensions in the country. More than a dozen attacks this year targeting prominent Arab figures ahead of October local elections are [part of a wave of murders]( perpetrated by members of their own community. Protesters in Tel Aviv on Aug. 26 carry mock coffins bearing slogans denouncing crime that disproportionately affects Arab communities. Photographer: Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images UK lawmakers return from their summer break today, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak engulfed in a crisis over [crumbling school buildings]( and his Conservative Party lagging in opinion polls ahead of a national election expected next year. The government ordered more than 100 schools to close sites days before the start of the new academic year. China’s fury over Japan’s release of treated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has [dimmed prospects]( for improved ties when top officials of the two countries meet this week. Chinese Premier Li Qiang may use the meeting to berate Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in front of regional dignitaries. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s ruling coalition is fighting over [plans to sell state-owned assets](, including the world’s oldest bank, to bolster finances stung by a souring economic outlook. Guatemala’s top electoral tribunal overturned the suspension of Bernardo Arevalo’s party, [representing a victory]( for the incoming president’s Movimiento Semilla as he prepares to take office in 2024. North Korea appears to have dispatched a bus [across a bridge with China](, satellite imagery showed, in what is likely the first such move since Pyongyang sealed its borders nearly four years ago at the start of the pandemic. Washington Dispatch Biden, a self-proclaimed “union guy,” is celebrating Labor Day with the AFL-CIO federation in Philadelphia. The president needs to [win both union votes]( and battleground states like Pennsylvania in 2024 to have any hope of returning to the White House. But he’s facing growing friction with part of his labor base, as the United Auto Workers fear his push to electrify the nation’s vehicle fleet will cost jobs and lower wages. One thing to watch: The Senate returns to work tomorrow after a long break, with lawmakers girding for a spending fight with the House in the coming weeks. [Sign up for the Washington Edition newsletter]( for the more from the US capital and watch Balance of Power at 5pm ET weekdays on Bloomberg Television. Chart of the Day When Indonesia agreed last year to clean up its energy system with an estimated $20 billion of help from wealthy countries and large financial institutions, world leaders hailed the deal as “extraordinary.” But almost 10 months later, as Southeast Asian leaders gather in Jakarta, the hosts [have little to show]( for it. And Finally Huawei and China’s top chipmaker have built an advanced 7-nanometer processor to power its latest smartphone, a sign Beijing is making early progress in a push to [circumvent US efforts]( to contain its ascent. The Mate 60 phone’s advance could reset the contest for tech supremacy, as it suggests Huawei is able to come close to the fastest mobile devices using a chip that’s designed and produced in China. Thanks to the 32 people who answered our Friday quiz and congratulations to Len Tiahlo, who was the first to name Zimbabwe as the African nation whose main opposition party called last week for a rerun of an election that handed the president another five-year term and was found to be deeply flawed by international observers. More from Bloomberg - [Bloomberg Opinion]( for a roundup of our most vital opinions on business, politics, economics, tech and more. - [Economics Daily]( for what the changing landscape means for policy makers, investors and you - [Green Daily]( for the latest in climate news, zero-emission tech and green finance - [Next Africa](, a twice-weekly newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed Explore more newsletters at [Bloomberg.com](. Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Want to sponsor this newsletter? 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