China says Xi to pay state visit to South Africa, attend BRICS summit next week

BEIJING, August 19 ------ Chinese leader Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to South Africa next week, the foreign ministry said, while confirming the president will attend the BRICS summit in Johannesburg.

Africa has emerged as a renewed diplomatic battleground, with the West, Russia and China vying for influence amid heightened competition for minerals and international divisions fostered by the war in Ukraine. "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 Aug 21 to Aug 24," Chinese 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 Aug 22 to Aug 24 under the theme "BRICS and Africa", South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said earlier this month.

Source: channelnewsasia.com