Beijing/Rio de Janeiro — Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend the upcoming BRICS summit scheduled for July 6–7 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, marking the first time in his 12-year presidency that he will miss the annual gathering.
According to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), sources suggest that Xi’s decision stems from dissatisfaction over Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi being invited to a state dinner hosted by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva after the summit. Xi is reportedly concerned that Modi’s presence might overshadow his own during the high-profile event.
While Beijing has officially cited "scheduling conflicts" as the reason for Xi’s absence, diplomatic sources indicate that Brazil is unhappy with the short notice—just 10 days before the summit.
Chinese PM Li Qiang Likely to Attend Instead
In Xi's place, Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to represent China at the summit, continuing a pattern seen at the 2023 G20 Summit in India, where he also substituted for the president. However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has not formally confirmed this change.
Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told Brazil’s Folha newspaper that information regarding the Chinese delegation “will be released at the appropriate time.” Brazil's Foreign Ministry declined to comment, citing protocol on internal decisions of foreign delegations.
Xi and Lula Have Met Twice in Less Than a Year
The SCMP report also noted that Xi and President Lula have already held two bilateral meetings within the past year—first at the G20 Summit in November 2024 and then at the China-CELAC Forum in May 2025—reducing the perceived necessity of another high-level engagement during BRICS.
Background: What Is BRICS?
BRICS is a geopolitical grouping of five major emerging economies—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—originally formed in 2009. In recent years, it has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as full members. Additionally, countries like Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan have been added as partner nations.
The group aims to promote economic cooperation, political dialogue, and reform of global governance institutions, offering an alternative to Western-dominated frameworks.
Modi–Xi Talks After a Long Gap
At the previous BRICS summit held in Kazan, Russia, in 2024, Modi and Xi held their first bilateral meeting in five years, following the deadly Galwan Valley clash in 2020 that severely strained India–China relations.
During the 50-minute meeting, Prime Minister Modi emphasized the importance of peace along the border and called for restoring trust. He asserted that mutual respect, sensitivity, and understanding must guide the bilateral relationship.