M A Hossain<\/p>\n
In the realm of global politics, symbolism matters almost as much as substance. Presi\u00addent Xi Jinping of China has decid\u00aded not to attend this year\u2019s BRICS summit which will be held in Rio de Janeiro. This is the first time Pres\u00adident Xi will not be at the summit since BRICS\u2019s in\u00adception. This has become a breaking news global\u00adly. While the official explana\u00adtion cites \u201cscheduling conflicts,\u201d the deeper reality suggests something more complex, and perhaps more consequential, for the future of the world\u2019s most prominent coalition of emerging economies.
\nAt first glance, the decision may seem trivial. After all, Chinese Pre\u00admier Li Qiang will represent Bei\u00adjing at the summit, and China\u2019s for\u00adeign ministry insists that Beijing remains fully committed to BRICS and supports Brazil\u2019s presidency of the group. But in international affairs, particularly in institutions built on mutual symbolism and sol\u00adidarity, the absence of a key figure can speak louder than any official statement. It can send a message\u2014intentional or not\u2014about shifting priorities, evolving strategies, and potential fractures within alliances.
\nThis is not the first time Presi\u00addent Xi has chosen to skip a ma\u00adjor international summit. In 2023, he declined to deliver a speech at the BRICS gathering in South Afri\u00adca, delegating the task to his com\u00admerce minister without any clear explanation. The pattern of disen\u00adgagement\u2014two high-profile ab\u00adsences in two years\u2014raises legit\u00adimate questions. Is China quietly stepping back from the frontline of BRICS leadership? Or is it, in fact, signaling supreme confidence that its influence within the bloc is so firmly established that personal ap\u00adpearances are no longer necessary?
\nTo understand what may be at play, it is helpful to recall the his\u00adtorical context of BRICS itself. Orig\u00adinally conceived as a loose group\u00ading of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa\u2014economies out\u00adside the traditional Western sphere. BRICS has often been more aspi\u00adrational than operational. Unlike NATO or the European Union, BRICS lacks binding treaties or a common defense policy. Its strength lies in its symbolism: a counterweight to Western dominance and a platform for the Global South to amplify its voice in world affairs.
\nChina\u2019s role in this group is unde\u00adniably central. It is the largest econ\u00adomy among the members by far, the principal driver of intra-BRICS trade, and a key player in devel\u00adopment financing through institu\u00adtions such as the New Development Bank. As of 2024, BRICS nations account for nearly 40% of glob\u00adal GDP\u2014a staggering rise from the mere 8% they represented at the dawn of the millennium. Much of this economic transformation has been underpinned by China\u2019s re\u00adlentless growth and its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, which has spread Chinese influence across Af\u00adrica, Latin America, and Asia.
\nGiven this commanding position, it is tempting to see Xi\u2019s absence as a mark of confidence, not retreat. Just as Franklin D. Roosevelt or Winston Churchill did not need to attend ev\u00adery Allied summit in person to ex\u00adert influence during World War II, Xi may be demonstrating that Beijing\u2019s dominance is now institutionalized within BRICS. Whether he physi\u00adcally attends or not, China remains the gravitational center of the bloc\u2019s economic and strategic agenda.
\nYet this interpretation overlooks a crucial point: global leadership is not only about leverage but also about presence. History teaches that absent leaders can erode al\u00adliances. The post-World War I dis\u00adillusionment with the League of Nations, largely due to the U.S.\u2019s re\u00adfusal to fully commit, is a stark ex\u00adample of how absenteeism can un\u00addercut global institutions. Even in modern times, when U.S. presi\u00addents skip key summits\u2014as Don\u00adald Trump did with ASEAN gather\u00adings\u2014it often sows confusion and weakens diplomatic cohesion.
\nMoreover, symbolism matters even more for a grouping like BRICS, which is still in the process of defin\u00ading its identity and role in the evolv\u00ading world order. In this context, the Chinese president\u2019s absence could inadvertently reinforce concerns about whether the bloc has the uni\u00adty and shared vision necessary to challenge the Western-led system in a sustained and credible way.
\nA more plausible explanation lies in China\u2019s broader recalibration of its global strategy. In recent years, Beijing has increasingly sought to exert influence through infrastruc\u00adture investment, trade expansion, and technology rather than through high-profile diplomatic theater. Its growing economic ties with Africa, Latin America, and Central Asia, as well as its deep involvement in the Middle East through strategic part\u00adnerships with Iran and Saudi Ara\u00adbia, illustrate a preference for con\u00adcrete, often bilateral, engagements over symbolic multilateralism.
\nFurthermore, by maintaining a degree of ambiguity about its inten\u00adtions\u2014sometimes engaging, some\u00adtimes retreating\u2014China may be borrowing a page from the play\u00adbook of leaders like Trump, who famously kept allies and adversar\u00adies guessing. In a fragmented world moving away from unipolarity, such unpredictability can be an asset. It prevents rival powers from coordi\u00adnating against you and allows you to shift your diplomatic posture as circumstances change.<\/p>\n
The writer is a political and defense analyst based in Bangladesh. He can be reached at writetomahossain@gmail.com<\/p>\n
Courtesy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
M A Hossain In the realm of global politics, symbolism matters almost as much as substance. Presi\u00addent Xi Jinping of China has decid\u00aded not to attend this year\u2019s BRICS summit which will be held in Rio de Janeiro. This is the first time Pres\u00adident Xi will not be at the summit since BRICS\u2019s in\u00adception. This […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[13085],"class_list":{"0":"post-488989","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-article","7":"tag-m-a-hossain"},"yoast_head":"\n