China said on wednesday (July 2, 2025) that prime minister Li Keqiang will attend the BRICS summit to be held in brazil later this week. This has confirmed reports that President Xi jinping will not attend the group's meeting for the first time since taking power 12 years ago.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning told a press conference that Li will attend the 17th BRICS summit to be held in Rio de Janeiro, brazil from July 5 to 8 on invitation. However, he evaded the question as to why Xi jinping decided not to attend the event. Xi always attended the BRICS summit during his 12-year tenure in power.
Prime minister Narendra Modi will attend the Rio summit. BRICS, composed of brazil, russia, India, China and South Africa, includes five additional members Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The BRICS summit held in Kazan, russia last year became significant as both PM Modi and Xi jinping met there, ending the four-year-long impasse in bilateral relations due to the standoff in eastern Ladakh.
After the meeting, both sides agreed to restore various bilateral dialogue mechanisms. After the talks between PM Modi and Xi jinping, both sides held several meetings in the last few months with the aim of normalising bilateral relations.
Given Xi Jinping's decision not to attend the Rio summit, the next occasion for a Xi-Modi meeting could be the SCO summit to be held in china, if prime minister Modi attends it.
China, the current chair of the shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), plans to hold the summit later this year. Regarding the BRICS summit, Mao Ning said that the group serves as the most important platform for solidarity and cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries and represents a major force in advancing an equitable and orderly multipolar world and inclusive economic globalization.
He said that china looks forward to working with all parties to strengthen the BRICS strategic partnership, uphold multilateralism, promote shared development, improve global governance and promote high-quality development of the BRICS cooperation framework.
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