The 72-year-old Chinese leader Xi Jinping has participated in BRICS summits for the past 12 years. The official reason for sending Premier Li Qiang was not stated, writes The Guardian. Unofficially, Chinese officials reported scheduling issues for the Chinese leader.
Vladimir Putin decided not to go to Rio de Janeiro, most likely due to the International Criminal Court's warrant, as Brazil has signed the Rome Statute of the ICC. Putin abandoned plans to attend the 2023 BRICS summit in South Africa after President Cyril Ramaphosa could not provide any guarantees regarding Putin's arrest or other actions in accordance with the warrant.
BRICS, which its participants position as an alternative to the G7 group for the developing world, has recently undergone rapid expansion, but in the process has diluted its integrity as an organization offering an ideological alternative to Western capitalism. Its founders were Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, but last year the group expanded to include Indonesia, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—countries at different stages of economic development and with varying levels of antagonism towards the West. These additions have shifted the balance towards autocracies, causing concern for Brazil, South Africa, and India.
The absence of the leaders of Russia and China at the summit may be beneficial for Brazil, which is becoming a notable force in the global South. Brazil intends to use the meeting to promote the theme of reforming global governance, the publication notes. And Brazil would not want the focus to be solely on criticizing the West's double standards in the Middle East and Ukraine.