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Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend the 17th BRICS summit that will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between July 6-7, marking the first time he will be absent from the meeting, South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday, citing sources.

Beijing has reportedly informed the Brazilian government that Xi will be absent from the event due to a scheduling conflict. Prime Minister Li Qiang is expected to attend the summit in his stead.

As the head of China, Xi has consistently attended every BRICS summit.

Xi has met with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva twice within a year, initially during the G20 summit in Brasilia last November and again in May at the China-CELAC Forum in Beijing.

Beijing has not yet provided an official reason for Xi’s absence.

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

The BRICS group, which initially included Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has recently expanded its full membership. Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates have now joined.

Vietnam recently became the 10th BRICS partner country, joining Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.

The partner country category was formally introduced at the 16th BRICS summit held in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024, as part of the bloc's expansion strategy.