Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) failed to attend a business forum in South Africa where he was expected to deliver a speech defending China’s economy and its support for emerging markets, as fears mount that the Asian nation’s struggles could cause global turbulence.
According to a public schedule, the Chinese leader was set to address the BRICS Business Forum on Tuesday, after meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier in the day. Instead, delegates were greeted on stage by Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao (王文濤), who read the speech without giving an explanation for Xi’s absence.
“The Chinese economy has strong resilience, tremendous potential and great vitality. The fundamentals sustaining China’s long-term growth will remain unchanged,” Wang read. “The giant ship of the Chinese economy will continue to cleave waves and sail ahead.”
Photo: AFP
Hours later, Xi attended a dinner with the leaders of South Africa, Brazil and India, and Russia’s foreign minister, who are in Johannesburg for the annual BRICS summit of emerging market powers.
Xi’s decision to skip delivering a bullish economic message in person comes as his nation faces intense global scrutiny over its struggles with falling prices, a faltering property market and soaring local government debt.
As China confronts those concerns, the South Africa summit brings Xi into the orbit of leaders he has not seen in months, including a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that is expected to take place on the sidelines of the summit.
Xi’s speech would have been his first public remarks delivered abroad this year. Prior to South Africa, the Chinese leader had spent just two days overseas this year, when he visited Russia.
Chinese-language state media reports yesterday made no mention of his absence, instead saying he delivered the speech without referencing Wang — although Xinhua news agency’s English report said the remarks were read on his behalf.
BRICS leaders yesterday turned to the main business of their summit, debating whether to expand their bloc and allow in new members, after Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday gave the gathering an anti-Western tinge.
Putin is not attending the summit after an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for him over the war in Ukraine complicated his travel to South Africa, but he was participating virtually.
The Russian leader used a 17-minute prerecorded speech aired on the opening day of the summit on Tuesday to lambast the West over the war in Ukraine and the financial sanctions placed on Russia as punishment for its invasion.
He said a critical deal allowing Ukraine to move grain out of its Black Sea ports that Russia halted last month would not be reinstated unless Russian conditions are met.
Additional reporting by AP
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