Chinese President Xi Jinping unexpectedly pulled out of delivering a speech at the BRICS summit in South Africa – leading to speculation he might be unwell.
The Chinese leader was in Johannesburg for the business forum but asked his commerce minister Wang Wentao to deliver the remarks instead.
The unusual move has sparked speculation that something was “amiss” but it is unlikely the Chinese government will provide an explanation.
The president’s speech brought an air of confrontation to the summit in Johannesburg.
In a thinly-veiled swipe at the United States, Mr Wang said “some country, obsessed with maintaining its hegemony, has gone out of its way to cripple the emerging markets and developing countries”.
“Whoever is developing fast becomes its target of containment. Whoever is catching up, becomes its target of obstructions.”
The remarks are another development in the growing friction between the US and China – with Mr Xi having earlier blamed the West for the difficulties faced by his country’s economy.
Mr Xi had met with South African president Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday before he pulled out of delivering his speech.
Bill Bishop, author of Sinocism, a popular newsletter about Chinese affairs, highlighted how there had already been a long period this month with Mr Xi not making any public appearances.
Mr Bishop said this seemed “a bit strange”.
He added: “This last-minute decision to skip the business forum looks even stranger. So in the absence of any useful information from the PRC [People’s Republic of China] system rumours will fly.”
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Wang Wentao reads out Xi Jinping’s speech. Pic: AP
Xi Jinping receives the order of South Africa from President Cyril Ramaphosa at the summit. Pic: AP
The China Global South Project, a podcast exploring the country’s involvement in Africa, wrote: “To say [Xi’s absence] is extraordinary is an understatement as Chinese leaders never miss highly choreographed events like this.”
Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific Programme at the German Marshall Fund, wondered if his absence meant something was “amiss”.
James Palmer, deputy editor of Foreign Policy magazine, wrote: “The odds are very heavily that Xi Jinping just skipped that speech because he’s sick.”
The BRICS group of countries is made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Mr Xi was scheduled to join Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr Ramaphosa for dinner at a luxury estate in suburban Johannesburg on Tuesday.
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Putin hits out at the West
Russian President Vladimir Putin has not attended the summit as he currently faces an arrest warrant for war crimes which was issued by the International Criminal Court.
Mr Putin planned to take part in the dinner virtually, officials said.
The Russian president gave a 17-minute prerecorded speech, criticising the impact of sanctions and indirectly accused the West by criticising the “trampling of all rules of free trade and economic life which we thought to be immovable before”.
The leaders were expected to discuss the top agenda point for the three-day summit – a possible expansion of the BRICS group of nations.
The group aims to be a counterweight to Western economic and geopolitical dominance.
The five BRICS countries are home to 40% of the world’s population and responsible for more than 30% of global economic output, and more than 20 nations have applied to join, according to South African officials, including Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
