The Chinese foreign ministry said that Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the BRICS leaders’ meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, scheduled for August 22-24.
The summit will be the first in-person meeting of BRICS leaders since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa comprise the BRICS countries.
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BRICS expansion
The summit is expected to focus on strengthening cooperation among the BRICS countries and the bloc’s expansion.
Some 40 countries have expressed interest in joining the group, either formally or informally. China has said that it welcomes more like-minded partners to join the “BRICS family” at an early date.
The leaders are expected to discuss various issues, including trade, investment, infrastructure, and climate change.
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Xi Jinping is also scheduled to co-chair the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue with his South African counterpart, President Cyril Ramaphosa, during his visit to South Africa.
The China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue is an annual meeting between the leaders of China and Africa. The dialogue aims to strengthen cooperation between China and Africa in areas such as trade, investment, and infrastructure development.
The summit comes at a time when the BRICS countries are facing a number of challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and rising inflation. The leaders are expected to discuss ways to address these challenges and to promote economic growth and development in the region.
