The foreign ministry announced on Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping would visit South Africa on a state visit the following week and that the president will take part in the BRICS meeting in Johannesburg.
The West, Russia, and China are all competing for influence in Africa as there is increased rivalry for resources and international divides brought on by the conflict in Ukraine.
President Xi Jinping will visit South Africa from August 21 to August 24 at the invitation of President Cyril Ramaphosa of the Republic of South Africa, according to a statement posted online by Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry.
Xi will go abroad for the second time in 2023 following a state visit to Russia in March.
According to a statement made by the South African foreign minister earlier this month, the leaders of Brazil, China, India, and South Africa, as well as the senior diplomat from Russia, will meet from August 22 to 24 under the subject “BRICS and Africa.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attendance at this year’s BRICS meeting in South Africa, a signatory to the ICC, has been questioned. Putin is wanted by the ICC for his participation in the Ukraine conflict.
However, a spokeswoman for Ramaphosa said last month that Putin will not go “by mutual agreement”.
Xi previously traveled to South Africa in 2018 in an effort to strengthen diplomatic and commercial relations between his nation and the continent.
The potential future extension of the BRICS membership will be discussed during this year’s Johannesburg summit.
Algeria, Egypt, and Ethiopia are a few African nations that have previously stated a desire to join the union.
China welcomed President Abdelmadjid Tebboune of Algeria to Beijing in July, praising its links to Africa and urging stronger collaboration.
In a joint statement issued at the time, it was said that China “welcomes Algeria’s positive intention to join BRICS and supports Algeria’s efforts to achieve this goal.” Tebboune had also asked Xi to visit Algeria.
All of the African governments are among the 69 nations that have been invited to the summit in South Africa.
Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa make up the loosely defined organization known as BRICS, which views itself as a challenge to Western economic dominance. The alliance has already said it is willing to grow.