South Africa: Chinese President, Mr. Xi Jinping, has arrived in South Africa for his fourth state visit to the country. The visit coincides with the 15th BRICS Summit.
The South African President, Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa, has received the Chinese President at OR Tambo International Airport. The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) welcomed the Chinese President with a military parade.
Mr. Ramaphosa will host the Chinese leader in the executive capital, Pretoria, ahead of the BRICS summit, which runs from 22nd to 24th August 2023.
BRICS is a group of emerging economies consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Together, they account for 25 percent of the world’s economy and are home to over 40 percent of the global population.
Mr. Xi will attend the BRICS summit, where Brazilian President Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi are also expected to be present. The summit will be attended by over 30 African heads of state and government.
Russian President Mr. Vladimir Putin, who is wanted internationally on charges of alleged war crimes in Ukraine, won’t be present at the meeting. The Foreign Minister, Mr. Sergey Lavrov, will attend on his behalf.
The South African President stated that the country would not be pressured to align with any major global powers as it prepared to host the summit.
BRICS is a grouping of the world economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. China hosted the most recent 14th BRICS summit on July 24 July 2022. The 15th host city of the Summit is Johannesburg.
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