Chinese leader Xi Jinping unexpectedly missed a scheduled speech at a BRICS summit in South Africa on Aug. 22, raising eyebrows as such absences by Chinese leaders from high-profile events are “unusual.”
(L to R): Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, China's leader Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov raise their arms as they pose for a group photograph at the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 23, 2023. Alet Pretorius/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping raised eyebrows on Aug. 22 by unexpectedly skipping a speech he was scheduled to deliver at a BRICS summit in South Africa, since such absences from high-profile events by top Chinese officials are “unusual.”
Mr. Xi arrived in Johannesburg on Aug. 21 and was to speak at a business forum the following day. Instead, his speech was read by Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.
Aldgra Fredly
Author
Aldgra Fredly is a freelance writer covering U.S. and Asia Pacific news for The Epoch Times.
