China's Xi Jinping to attend BRICS leaders' meeting, visit South Africa

Chinese leader Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to South Africa next week, the foreign ministry said on Friday, while confirming the president will attend the BRICS summit in Johannesburg.

"At the invitation of President of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, President Xi Jinping will attend the 15th BRICS Summit to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa and pay a state visit to South Africa from August 21 to 24," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in an online statement.

This will be Xi's second international trip of 2023, after paying an official state visit to Russia in March.

The heads of Brazil, China, India and South Africa plus Russia's top diplomat will gather on August 22-24 under the theme "BRICS and Africa", South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said earlier this month.

Questions had swirled over whether Russian President Vladimir Putin -- who is sought by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his role in the Ukraine war -- would attend this year's BRICS conference in South Africa, which is a signatory of the ICC.

The Chinese leader previously visited South Africa in 2018 as he sought to enhance his country's diplomatic and economic ties with the continent.

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