China's leader will miss the BRICS summit for the first time

This is the first time the country's leader will not attend the association's annual event, the South China Morning Post reported.

China notified the Brazilian government that Xi Jinping had a “scheduling conflict” and the country's delegation will be led by Premier Li Qiang of China's State Council.

Chinese representatives involved in preparations for the summit cited the fact that Xi Jinping has already met twice with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in less than a year: first at the G20 summit in November 2024 and then in May 2025 as the reason for Xi Jinping's absence.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said information on Xi Jinping's participation in the summit would be provided in due course.

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