By News18
China鈥檚 Xi Jinping Skips Brics Meet: For the first time since taking power in 2012, Chinese President Xi Jinping, 72, skipped the annual Brics meeting on Sunday (July 6), which was attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Brazil鈥檚 Rio de Janeiro.
China cited a scheduling conflict but is it really so? Is China鈥檚 power waning?
What is Brics? Why was it formed?
In 2006, Brazil, Russia, India and China came together to form Bric.
Four years later, it became Brics with the entry of South Africa.
The group has extended membership to other countries as well 鈥 Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were invited to become members in January 2024. Even Argentina was called on, but President Javier Milei pulled out his country in 2023, shortly after taking office.
The group was formed to bring the world鈥檚 most important developing countries together, to challenge the political and economic power of the wealthier nations of North America and Western Europe.
Who is attending Brics summit?
PM Modi from India and South Africa鈥檚 Cyril Ramaphosa are in attendance. Indonesia鈥檚 President Prabowo Subianto is also expected to attend after the country officially joined Brics earlier this year. Members from the UAE, Ethiopia and Egypt are also likely to join.
What has China said on Xi鈥檚 absence?
According to China鈥檚 foreign ministry, Xi鈥檚 absence at the meeting is a result of scheduling conflicts. Xi has sent his premier, Li Qiang, for the meeting.
What is the real reason behind Xi鈥檚 absence? What analysts say
Xi may be focussing on China鈥檚 economic challenges: The country鈥檚 industrial profits fell 9.1 per cent in May from a year earlier, amid slow consumer spending and a slump in the real estate market, and the trade war with the United States
Power transition: The state-run Xinhua news outlet reported that the 24-member Political Bureau of the ruling Communist Party of China held a meeting in which it reviewed a set of new regulations on the work of the party鈥檚 institutions. A China analyst pointed out in a South China Morning Post report that these changes hint at preparations for Xi鈥檚 retirement. 鈥
Xi鈥檚 power waning: 鈥淚t鈥檚 extremely significant that Xi Jinping is not going. It suggests turbulence at home 鈥 there are signs he鈥檚 lost control of the military and that civilian rivals are reasserting power. This is a symptom of that,鈥 Chang was quoted as saying by Fox News.
Not all are on same page in Brics: The divisions within the Brics itself could be a reason why Xi may have decided to skip the meeting.
Why does Xi鈥檚 absence from Brics matter?
Xi鈥檚 absence reduces the group鈥檚 value. Moreover, Xi鈥檚 decision to skip the summit is also a missed opportunity to reinforce China鈥檚 leadership among Global South nations and position itself as a counterweight to Western influence 鈥 an image Beijing has long cultivated.
Who else was absent?
Another big name absent from the summit is Vladmir Putin of Russia. The Russian president is facing an international criminal court arrest warrant as a result of the ongoing war against Ukraine. He will attend the gathering via video link.
With Agency Inputs