On Friday, Spokesperson of China’s Foreign Ministry, Hua Chunying, confirmed President Xi Jinping’s participation in the upcoming BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.
President Xi Jinping will be attending the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, following an invitation from President Cyril Ramaphosa, Hua Chunying said in an online statement.
She added, This visit, scheduled from August 21 to 24, will also include a state visit to South Africa.
In 2024, President Xi Jinping’s visit to South Africa is his second international journey, having previously visited Russia in March.
These visits highlight China’s strategic ambitions to expand its geopolitical sway and strengthen its global presence.
In 2018, President Jinping had already made a significant visit to South Africa, aiming to enhance China’s diplomatic and economic connections within the African continent.
In addition to participating in the BRICS meeting, President Jinping is scheduled to co-chair the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue alongside his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, as announced by the Chinese foreign ministry.
BRICS 2024
Initially coined by a Goldman Sachs economist in 2001, the term BRIC captured the emerging influence of Brazil, Russia, India, and China. These nations had their inaugural summit in Russia in 2009.
In 2010, South Africa joined the group, then the group came to be recognized as BRICS.
South Africa is set to host the BRICS 2024 summit. The leaders and diplomats from Brazil, China, India, Russia, and South Africa will be meeting to discuss the theme “BRICS and Africa” from August 22-24.
The summit’s key areas of discussion will include potential BRICS membership enlargement, the notion of a shared currency, advancements in the development bank, the ongoing situation in Ukraine, matters related to food security and discussion on Cooperation and partnerships.
More than 40 leaders, including Cyril Ramaphosa from South Africa, Xi Jinping from China, Narendra Modi from India, and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from Brazil, will meet in Johannesburg.
However, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is under an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, will participate in the event via video rather than attending in person.
This situation could be seen as potentially embarrassing for Putin, as he’s anticipated to be the only leader from the bloc not attending in person.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov mentioned that Putin has chosen to participate via video link, without confirming his initial intention to attend in person.
“BRICS and Africa” : Membership Expansion
The 15th BRICS Summit will include discussions about the possibility of expanding BRICS membership.
Africa has become a diplomatic battleground, where Western countries, Russia, and China compete for influence. This competition is fueled by increased demand for minerals and international divisions worsened by the conflict in Ukraine.
South Africa’s BRICS ambassador, Anil Sooklal, mentioned that in terms of global power dynamics, Africa and the Global South are still seen as exceptions or uncommon occurrences.
The summit in South Africa has extended invitations to 69 nations, including all African states, with a strong focus on potential expansion.
Notably, countries such as Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, and Ethiopia have indicated their desire to become part of the group, whether through formal or informal channels.
China, aiming to enhance its geopolitical influence amid its rivalry with the United States, has expressed its openness to welcoming more like-minded partners to join the “BRICS family” in the near future.
In July, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune was received by China in Beijing. During this visit, China highlighted its robust ties with Africa and promoted greater cooperation.
A joint statement released at the time stated, “China welcomes Algeria’s positive inclination to become part of BRICS and backs Algeria’s efforts to join BRICS” The statement also noted that Tebboune had extended an invitation to Xi to visit Algeria.
Moreover, Russia is in favour of expansion too.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has expressed his support for additional countries joining the group and plans to discuss this matter during the summit.
However, The Indian delegation aims to highlight reforms that would enhance the strength and unity of BRICS, emphasizing that it is not causing any delay in the expansion efforts.
