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3d ago

Xi Jinping to Miss Rio BRICS Summit as Li Qiang Leads Delegation

Beijing’s explanation of a scheduling conflict has frustrated Brazilian officials who had expected Xi to reciprocate Lula’s recent visit

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting at the Kremlin's St. George Hall in Moscow, Russia June 23, 2025. Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool via REUTERS/ File Photo
Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) and Polish President Andrzej Duda (R) eat Polish apples as they greet the arrival of the first China Railway Express train that rolled into the Polish capital from China ending a 13-day trip from Chengdu, capital of the central Sichuan province on June 20, 2016 in Warsaw. Chinese President Xi Jinping was in Warsaw to boost China's trade and investment with Poland, the European Union's largest eastern economy. / AFP / JANEK SKARZYNSKI (Photo credit should read JANEK SKARZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Xi Jinping will be absent from the July 6–7 BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, marking his first miss since taking office in 2013.
  • Premier Li Qiang will head China’s delegation after Beijing cited a scheduling conflict for Xi’s nonattendance.
  • Brazilian officials voiced disappointment following President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s May trip to Beijing in anticipation of Xi’s summit participation.
  • China’s foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun declined to confirm Xi’s decision, saying details on attendance would be released in due course.
  • There is reported unease in Beijing over Brazil’s decision not to endorse the Belt and Road Initiative, a signature project of Xi’s administration.