The BRICS summit, which brings together the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa every year for the past fifteen years, will take place in 2023. The organization, which roughly accounts for 40% of the global population, is now thinking about growing.
After a meeting with his counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa in Johannesburg on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping declared that China and South Africa were “standing at a new historical starting point”. Xi Jinping is on a state visit to South Africa concurrent with the BRICS conference, in contrast to other BRICS presidents.
“Today, standing at a new historical starting point, inheriting friendship, deepening cooperation, and strengthening coordination are the common aspirations of the two countries, and they are also the important tasks entrusted to us by the times,” Xi was reported as saying by Chinese official media.
Several digital billboards showing BRICS leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have been built throughout Johannesburg, South Africa, in preparation for hosting the summit.
In the meantime, dancers welcomed Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, upon his arrival in Johannesburg for the BRICS conference. Notably, Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the summit because he is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges that he transferred children from Ukraine. The ICC is supported by the West.