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.
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.
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
The original article contains 554 words, the summary contains 185 words. Saved 67%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!