Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived in Johannesburg alongside his wife, Rosangela “Janja” da Silva, on Monday, just before the commencement of the BRICS summit in South Africa. Earlier on the same day, China’s President Xi Jinping embarked on his journey to South Africa and has now successfully arrived, as reported by state media.
Online videos depict South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa extending a warm welcome to the Chinese leader at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo airport.
This state visit marks Xi’s second international tour of 2023, following his official visit to Russia in March. Previously, in 2018, the Chinese leader visited South Africa with the intention of strengthening diplomatic and economic ties with the continent.
According to the Xinhua news agency, “Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing on Monday for the 15th BRICS Summit to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, and a state visit to South Africa.”
From August 22 to 24, the leaders of Brazil, China, India, South Africa, and Russia’s top diplomat will convene under the theme “BRICS and Africa.”
There had been speculation regarding the attendance of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is sought by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his role in the Ukraine conflict, at this year’s BRICS conference in South Africa, a country that is an ICC signatory.
Among the topics on this year’s summit agenda is the potential expansion of BRICS membership, a move the bloc has previously indicated openness to. Several African nations, including Algeria, Egypt, and Ethiopia, have expressed interest in joining the group.
A total of 69 countries, including all African states, have been invited to participate in the summit.
BRICS, a loosely-defined coalition aimed at counterbalancing Western economic dominance, takes its name from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The group collectively represents 23 percent of the global gross domestic product and 42 percent of the world’s population.
