Xi Jinping Skips BRICS Summit: China’s Global Role Under Scrutiny

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s unexpected absence from this week’s BRICS Summit in Brazil has set tongues wagging and eyebrows raising across the global political sphere. For the first time, the leader of one of the world’s most powerful nations has skipped this critical gathering of emerging economies, leaving analysts and observers scrambling to decode the implications for China’s internal politics and the fragile unity of the BRICS alliance.

Officially, Beijing cites a scheduling conflict and notes that Xi already met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva earlier this year. Yet, this explanation feels thinner than a paper umbrella in a monsoon. With Premier Li Qiang stepping in, Xi’s reduced visibility on the world stage hints at deeper undercurrents—perhaps turbulence at home or a strategic pivot. Could this be a sign of internal power struggles, with military control slipping or civilian rivals gaining ground? The speculation is as thick as fog over the Great Wall.

BRICS—comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and newer members like Egypt and Indonesia—represents over 60% of global GDP and a staggering 75% of the world’s population. It’s a heavyweight bloc with grand ambitions to counter Western dominance, yet it’s plagued by internal rifts. Experts point to China’s trade practices, often seen as predatory, as a source of tension. Add to that the simmering friction with India, whose Prime Minister Narendra Modi is poised to take center stage at the summit, and Xi’s no-show starts to look like a calculated sidestep.

Then there’s the broader geopolitical chessboard. Russia’s Vladimir Putin will only appear via video, further diluting the summit’s star power. Meanwhile, talk of a BRICS currency to challenge the U.S. dollar remains more hype than reality—divergent interests within the group make such a move a long shot. Still, shifts toward alternative payment systems and digital currencies signal a slow but persistent reshaping of global financial flows.

Xi’s absence could be read in two ways: a sign of weakness, suggesting instability in Beijing, or a flex of confidence, implying China’s dominance in BRICS is so assured that Xi need not even show up. Whichever it is, the summit in Brazil will unfold under a cloud of questions about China’s role and the bloc’s future. One thing is certain—BRICS remains a fractured giant, its potential as a counterweight to the West matched only by its internal contradictions.