Xi Jinping's mysterious absence at BRICS Business Forum raises questions
What's the story
Chinese President Xi Jinping's "unexplained" absence from a scheduled key speech at the BRICS Business Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa, has sparked rumors about his health and political standing.
On Tuesday, the Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao delivered a speech on Jinping's behalf, which included thinly veiled criticisms of the United States (US), The Guardian reported.
The speech accused an unnamed country of being "obsessed with maintaining hegemony" and hindering the growth of emerging markets and developing nations.
Decision
No explanation given for Xi's absence: Report
Jinping was scheduled to speak at the BRICS Business Forum on Tuesday, among other leaders. However, he did not attend the occasion, and Wentao read his speech instead.
No explanation has so far been given for his absence, even though he eventually attended the summit dinner, per The Guardian.
His absence appeared to be an eleventh-hour decision since Chinese state media reportedly presented the event as if he had addressed the forum personally.
What Next?
China seeks unity, denounces hegemonic obsessions
In the address read by Wentao, Jinping called for an end to one-dimensional views of nations that categorize them as "liberal" or "authoritarian."
He chastised countries obsessed with retaining hegemony for hindering the prosperity of developing nations.
According to reports, the BRICS Summit will provide an opportunity for China to strengthen the organization as a counterbalance to Western blocs.
However, India's government is wary of elevating Beijing through BRICS, causing splits within the organization.
BRICS leaders
Leaders who were present at business forum
The BRICS Business Forum kicked off in South Africa's Johannesburg on Tuesday to reportedly discuss broader economic issues.
The agenda for the meeting was to deliberate on trade cooperation and investment, strengthening ties, and removing hurdles among the member countries.
Among the leaders who were present at the forum were Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Brazilian President Lula da Silva. However, Jinping skipped the meeting completely.
Details
BRICS expansion: Challenging Western bloc dominance
The BRICS summit aims to remove bottlenecks among member countries.
The BRICS countries, which represent approximately 41% of the world's population and almost 31.5% of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), are considering expanding their bloc.
Over 40 countries, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, and Argentina, have expressed interest in joining BRICS.
Meanwhile, some member countries, such as China, aim to establish BRICS as a counterweight to Western blocs like the G7 or G20.