Where is Xi Jinping? Chinese premier's absence comes amid BRICS stand against 'unilateral tariffs', Donald Trump's harsh criticism

Strange as it may seem, China’s President Xi Jinping is not attending the two-day BRICS Summit in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro that begins on July 6. This will be the first time since 2012 (when he became the President) that Xi will be skipping the meet.

In addition to the upcoming BRICS meet, Xi’s absence has been conspicuous even in the state-run Chinese media, where he features almost on a daily basis in the state mouthpieces.

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The Chinese premier's public appearances have also been reduced—his last interaction with a foreign dignitary in Beijing may well have been a meeting with Singaporean PM Lawrence Wong on June 24, which followed his meeting with New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon on June 20.

In that regard, the rumours about his absence have ranged from the mundane to the incredible—from being upstaged by political opponents to suffering from an ailment.

In Brazil, China will be represented by premier Li Qiang.

Xi’s absence is strange because the 11-membered BRICS grouping of emerging economies that includes India, China, Russia, Iran and seven other countries, is often seen as a platform for the fast-rising China-Russia-Iran axis against the US-led West.

The summit in Brazil is expected to take a strident stand against the ‘unilateral tariff’ being imposed by the US, on grounds of it violating international laws.

The strategic position of BRICS includes a move for de-dollarisation as a counter to the dominance of the US dollar, by working towards a new currency of exchange besides the creation of a more equitable global order—with multi-polarity as its main mantra.

US President Donald Trump with his central tenet of 'Make America Great Again' (MAGA) has been unsparing in his criticism of the BRICS.

“We require a commitment from these (BRICS) countries that they will neither create a BRICS currency nor back any other currency to replace the mighty US dollar or they will face 100 per cent tariffs,” he declared.

“BRICS was set up for a bad purpose… BRICS is now dead,” Trump continued, in his tirade against the fast-emerging bloc.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin will also not attend, but his absence has been explained as not wanting to put the host Brazil in a delicate diplomatic spot. However, Putin will attend the summit via video conferencing.

Brazil—an original member of The Hague-headquartered International Criminal Court (ICC)—would be rule-bound to detain Putin on arrival due to the arrest warrant issued against the Russian President on March 17, 2023. The ICC had issued the warrant after an investigation of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.  

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