(MENAFN) Chinese President Xi Jinping will not participate in the upcoming 17th BRICS summit scheduled for July 6-7 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, marking the first occasion he has missed this key gathering, according to a report by the media on Tuesday, which cited insider sources.

Beijing has reportedly notified Brazilian officials that Xi’s absence is due to a scheduling conflict. In his place, Prime Minister Li Qiang is expected to represent China at the summit.

Xi, as China’s leader, has consistently been present at every BRICS summit since its inception.

Over the past year, Xi has held two meetings with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva — first at the G20 summit in Brasilia last November, and again in May during the China-CELAC Forum held in Beijing.

So far, Beijing has not issued an official explanation for Xi’s nonattendance.

On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated, “On China’s attendance at the BRICS summit, we will release information in due course.”

Originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the BRICS alliance has recently expanded its full membership to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Vietnam has now become the 10th partner country of BRICS, joining a list that also includes Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.

The partner country designation was officially introduced during the 16th BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, last October as a part of the bloc’s broader strategy to widen its global influence.

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