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Xi Jinping’s surprise no-show at BRICS Summit fuels speculation about China’s global standing
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Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend this week’s BRICS Summit in Brazil, marking the first time the Chinese leader has missed the gathering of major emerging economies. The abrupt decision has triggered widespread speculation about internal political dynamics within China and the fraying cohesion of BRICS itself.
China’s official explanation — a «scheduling conflict» and the fact that Xi already met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva earlier this year, according to the South China Morning Post — has been met with skepticism. Premier Li Qiang will attend the summit in Xi’s place, continuing a recent trend of Xi scaling back his appearances on the global stage.
«That doesn’t make sense,» said Gordon Chang, an expert on U.S.-China relations. «There are many other countries at the BRICS summit, not just Brazil. To me, it’s extremely significant that Xi Jinping is not going. It suggests turbulence at home — there are signs he’s lost control of the military and that civilian rivals are reasserting power. This is a symptom of that.»
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Chinese President Xi Jinping listens as Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, not pictured, speaks during their meeting at the Office of the Party Central Committee in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Monday, Apr. 14. (AP/Minh Hoang)
Bryan Burack of the Heritage Foundation agrees that Xi’s absence underscores deeper issues: «It’s another indication that BRICS is not going to be China’s vassalization of the Global South.» He noted that countries like Brazil and Indonesia have recently imposed tariffs on China over industrial overcapacity and dumping, moves that suggest widening rifts within the group.
«China is actively harming all those countries for the most part, maybe with some exceptions, through its malign trade policies and dumping and overcapacity.»
Tensions with India and global trade pressure may also be factors
Some analysts point to rising China-India friction as a contributing factor in Xi’s decision to skip the summit.
«China has been at war with India for decades, essentially,» Burack said. «These are fundamentally opposing interests. It’s difficult to see China changing its behavior in the near term, and that will keep tensions high.»
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to take a leading role at the gathering, potentially another deterrent for Xi’s attendance.
Another key leader — Russian President Vladimir Putin — is only expected to address the group by video.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, are two key leaders of the BRICS alliance. (Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
BRICS: United in name, divided in decades-long tensions
Formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China and later joined by South Africa, BRICS was envisioned as a non-Western counterweight to G7 dominance. It has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and, most recently, Indonesia, strengthening its economic footprint.
Economist Christian Briggs highlighted BRICS’s massive scale: «BRICS now comprises 12 full members and up to 23 when counting partners. Collectively, they account for over 60% of the world’s GDP and around 75% of the global population. They control vast natural resources and a growing share of global trade flows.»
Yet despite its scale, the bloc remains ideologically and strategically fragmented. «It’s a group of countries that hate each other,» Burack said bluntly. «China is harming many of them through unfair trade practices. There’s not a lot of incentive for real unity.»
Currency ambitions and strategic divergences
The alliance’s aspirations to challenge the U.S. dollar through alternative payment systems and a potential BRICS currency have gained media traction — but experts caution against overestimating this threat.
«There’s been a lot of fearmongering about a BRICS currency,» said Burack. «But the interests of these countries are completely divergent. There’s more smoke than fire when it comes to a currency challenge to the dollar.»
Chang echoed this skepticism: «The only country that can challenge the dollar is the United States. Weakness in the dollar is due to what we are doing domestically, not what the BRICS are doing.»
Still, Briggs offered a counterpoint, arguing that BRICS members are already reshaping global currency flows.
«They’re moving away from the dollar into digital yuan, rupees, rubles. China has launched a SWIFT alternative already adopted by the Caribbean banking sector — trillions of dollars are shifting.»
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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a family photo during the BRICS summit in Kazan on October 23, 2024. (Alexander ZemlianichenkoPool/AFP via Getty Images)
Is BRICS still a threat to U.S. influence?
While its cohesion remains questionable, BRICS poses a long-term challenge to U.S. influence — particularly in regions where Washington has retreated diplomatically and economically.
«China filled the void left by the U.S. in places like Africa,» said Briggs. «Now it controls about 38% of the world’s minerals. Meanwhile, Russia’s economy has doubled despite sanctions, because they preemptively reduced reliance on the dollar.»
Yet Chang sees India as a brake on any aggressive anti-Western tilt. «BRICS has an ‘I’ in it—and that’s India. Modi doesn’t want to be part of an anti-Western bloc. As long as India’s in BRICS, the rest of the world is safe.»
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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to take a leading role at the summit, potentially another deterrent for Xi’s attendance. (Sipa USA via AP)
A missed opportunity — or a calculated power move?
To some, Xi’s no-show signals instability in Beijing. To others, the opposite: it demonstrates confidence in China’s dominance over the other BRICS members.
«He doesn’t have to be there,» Briggs contended. «Xi’s power allows him to delegate. China is trading with nearly 80% of the world now. He’s moving the agenda forward even in absentia.»
What’s clear is that BRICS continues to evolve — its internal contradictions as visible as its geopolitical ambitions. Whether Xi’s absence marks a retreat or a recalibration remains one of the key questions hovering over the summit in Brazil.
INTERNACIONAL
Biden accuses Trump of erasing history and squandering US leadership role on global stage: ‘Dark days’
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Former President Joe Biden on Friday accused President Donald Trump of attempting to «erase the truth» and squandering the United States’ role as the leader of the world.
«It’s not just my record Trump’s trying to erase,» Biden told South Carolina Democrats, while talking about the president’s efforts to get rid of the Affordable Care Act.
«He’s trying to erase fairness, equity, history, the truth,» he continued, citing incidents in which information about slavery has been removed or altered from museums and national parks since Trump took office.
«Great nations don’t bury the truth, Biden balked. «They face it. This is a great nation.»
Former President Joe Biden on Friday accused President Donald Trump of attempting to erase the truth and squandering the United States’ role as the leader of the world. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
Last summer, Trump wrote that «The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been — Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future.»
He also ordered a review of the Smithsonian to make sure its exhibits align with celebrating «American exceptionalism.»
Biden — the guest of honor at Friday’s «thank you» event organized by state Dems who helped resuscitate his presidential campaign six years ago — claimed the U.S. is currently living in «dark days.»
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«Our future is literally on the line,» he said. «We have to be unapologetic about fighting for our country.»
Biden also issued a warning about the upcoming midterms, claiming that Trump is «trying to steal the election because he knows he can’t win your vote, so he’s going to do everything he can to prevent you from wanting to vote. … Mark my words. I hope I’m wrong.»
He said the more that voters see of Trump, the «less they like him.»
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«They don’t like that he’s raising health care costs, fighting against the Affordable Care Act, and they sure as hell don’t like what they saw in Minnesota: Mass ICE agents pulling people out of their homes and literally murdering two people in the street,» he swiped.
President Trump delivered his State of the Union speech on Tuesday. (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)
Biden, 83, added, «They don’t believe the president should be king or dictator.»
He said because of this, Democrats are winning in places «you’d never expect.»
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«So, we have reason to be hopeful, because time and again throughout history, in the moments of great crisis, Americans have summoned the better angels of our nature and brought our country back from the abyss.»
Biden also predicted that Democrats would take back both the Senate and House of Representatives in November.
Biden boasted that he knew more heads of state than any other president in history, adding, «Americans knew they had a president who believed in, respected and followed the Constitution.»
Citing a Pew Research Poll that he said showed a «dramatic drop in our reputation around the world,» he claimed, «We’re no longer the way we were.»
He added if the U.S. doesn’t lead the world, it could be Russia or China that does.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with President Donald Trump, Jan. 23, in Davos, Switzerland. (Ukranian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Biden also blasted Trump’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday for what he left out.
«The guy talks for almost two hours but never mentioned the anniversary of Putin invading Ukraine,» Biden admonished. «Never once.»
He also noted that the president didn’t mention Renee Good or Alex Pretti, the Americans who were killed by ICE agents earlier this year in Minneapolis, «or offer even a word of solace to their families.»
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«He doesn’t offer a word of support, even recognition to Epstein’s victims sitting in front of him during the entire time,» Biden said, mentioning the Jeffrey Epstein survivors who were in the audience for the speech. «He never acknowledged them.»
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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INTERNACIONAL
Donald Trump dice que “no está contento” con las conversaciones con Irán y crecen los temores a un ataque de EE.UU.
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) accused Everett, Washington, Mayor Cassie Franklin of escalating tensions with federal authorities after she issued a directive limiting immigration enforcement in the city.
Franklin issued a mayoral directive this week establishing citywide protocols for staff, including law enforcement, that restrict federal immigration agents from entering non-public areas of city buildings without a judicial warrant.
«We’ve heard directly from residents who are afraid to leave their houses because of the concerning immigration activity happening locally and across our country. It’s heartbreaking to see the impacts on Everett families and businesses,» Franklin said in a statement.
«With this directive, we are setting clear protocols, protecting access to services and reinforcing our commitment to serving the entire community.»
ICE blasted the directive Friday, writing on X it «escalates tension and directs city law enforcement to intervene with ICE operations at their own discretion,» thereby «putting everyone at greater risk.»
Mayor Cassie Franklin said her new citywide immigration enforcement protocols are intended to protect residents and ensure access to services, while ICE accused her of escalating tensions with federal authorities. (Google Maps)
ICE said Franklin was directing city workers to «impede ICE operations and expose the location of ICE officers and agents.»
«Working AGAINST ICE forces federal teams into the community searching for criminal illegal aliens released from local jails — INCREASING THE FEDERAL PRESENCE,» the agency said. «Working with ICE reduces the federal presence.»
«If Mayor Franklin wanted to protect the people she claims to serve, she’d empower the city police with an ICE 287g partnership — instead she serves criminal illegal aliens,» ICE added.
DHS, WHITE HOUSE MOCK CHICAGO’S LAWSUIT OVER ICE: ‘MIRACULOUSLY REDISCOVERED THE 10TH AMENDMENT’
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement blasted Everett’s mayor after she issued a directive restricting federal agents from accessing non-public areas of city facilities without a warrant. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
During a city council meeting where she announced the policy, Franklin said «federal immigration enforcement is causing real fear for Everett residents.»
«It’s been heartbreaking to see the racial profiling that’s having an impact on Everett families and businesses,» she said. «We know there are kids staying home from school, people not going to work or people not going about their day, dining out or shopping for essentials.»
The mayor’s directive covers four main areas, including restricting federal immigration agents from accessing non-public areas of city buildings without a warrant, requiring immediate reporting of enforcement activity on city property and mandating clear signage to enforce access limits.
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Everett, Wash., Mayor Cassie Franklin said her new directive is aimed at protecting residents amid heightened immigration enforcement activity. (iStock)
It also calls for an internal policy review and staff training, including the creation of an Interdepartmental Response Team and updated immigration enforcement protocols to ensure compliance with state law.
Franklin directed city staff to expand partnerships with community leaders, advocacy groups and regional governments to coordinate responses to immigration enforcement, while promoting immigrant-owned businesses and providing workplace protections and «know your rights» resources.
The mayor also reaffirmed a commitment to «constitutional policing and best practices,» stating that the police department will comply with state law barring participation in civil immigration enforcement. The directive outlines protocols for documenting interactions with federal officials, reviewing records requests and strengthening privacy safeguards and technology audits.
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Everett, Wash., Mayor Cassie Franklin issued a directive limiting federal immigration enforcement in city facilities. (iStock)
«We want everyone in the city of Everett to feel safe calling 911 when they need help and to know that Everett Police will not ask about your immigration status,» Franklin said during the council meeting. »I also expect our officers to intervene if it’s safe to do so to protect our residents when they witness federal officers using unnecessary force.»
Fox News Digital has reached out to Mayor Franklin’s office and ICE for comment.
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