I take it Wei Li is otherwise known as Wei Yi.
Have Agon said how players have qualified for the Grand Prix? For what it's worth, the regulations, which include a section - reproduced below - on how the participants are determined, is
here.
Regulations for the 2016-2017 FIDE World Chess Grand-Prix Series wrote:
3. Qualifiers for the Grand Prix 2016-2017
The players who qualify for selection to play in the Grand Prix Series will be chosen on the following prioritised basis
until 24 players have accepted:
3.1 World Championship Match: The current World Champion and his opponent in the most recent World
Championship Match (2 players).
3.2 World Cup: The players who have qualified to the semi-final stage of the FIDE World Cup 2015 (4 players).
3.3 FIDE Rating: Based on an average calculation to two decimal places of the average from all published
FIDE ratings of classical (standard) chess from 1 June 2015 to 1 May 2016 divided by twelve (12), the
remaining players will be selected. If players have the same average rating, then the total number of rated games
in the twelve lists from 1 June 2015 to 1 May 2016 shall be decisive. That means the player with the greater
number of games shall qualify. A minimum of thirty (30) games are required for each player in the twelve FIDE
rating lists of classical (standard) chess from 1 June 2015 to 1 May 2016 (8 players).
3.4 ACP Tour: The one (1) highest-placed participant of the most recently completed ACP Tour, who has
not qualified with the previous criteria (1 player).
3.5 Organiser Nominees: Nine (9) players nominated by AGON with a published rating of at least 2700 in
classical, standard chess (or 2600 for former men and women national or world champions), in at least one
FIDE rating list of 2016 (9 players). In exceptional circumstances, and only for the Grand-Prix ending in 2017, AGON
may nominate players with a published rating of at least 2575 in at least one FIDE classical rating list of 2016.
3.6 Replacements. Any replacement for the initial selection of qualified players (or for any player who qualifies
more than once from articles 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4) will be made on the basis of Article 3.3 which takes into
account the average rating and greater number of games, if of equal rating
I think the FIDE Grand Prix may well end up being more interesting and exciting than the Grand Chess Tour (and other events, such as Altibox Norway Chess, which are focussed on attracting the top ten players):
1. The players are different and that means different personalities, different styles and different openings.
2. (As well as money) Places in the Candidates - and with them a chance to challenge for the world title - are at stake.
3. Players won't know exactly which opponents they're going to face (and with what colour). This will make preparation different.
4. Swiss pairings may make for more competitive games.