BEIJING: China’s President Xi Jinping expressed support for South Africa in hosting various BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) activities this year, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
The announcement came during a phone call between President Xi and his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, on Friday.
The call took place against the backdrop of discussions in Pretoria about potentially changing the venue of an upcoming summit of heads of state within the BRICS bloc. This consideration arises from the concern of having to execute an international arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin if he were to attend. The other members of the bloc are Brazil and India.
South Africa’s preparations for hosting the summit faced disruption due to the International Criminal Court’s issuance of a warrant for Putin in March, accusing him of war crimes related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As a signatory to the court, the South African government would be obligated to detain Putin if he were to attend the BRICS gathering scheduled for August in Johannesburg.
South Africa’s Role
While the Chinese statement highlighted President Xi’s willingness to enhance bilateral ties with South Africa and jointly advance the interests of developing nations, it made no explicit mention of the potential venue change to China. Notably, China is not a member of the International Criminal Court, meaning Putin could travel to China without the risk of arrest.
Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for President Ramaphosa, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the matter.
Last month, South Africa and five other African nations proposed a new initiative aimed at resolving Russia’s war in Ukraine. President Ramaphosa engaged in discussions on June 5 with other African leaders involved in the initiative, including Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Senegalese President Macky Sall, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. The South African presidency noted that the heads of state were available to travel to Ukraine and Russia in mid-June.
President Xi welcomed the African initiative, while President Ramaphosa expressed support for China’s proposal of a “political settlement” to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, as stated in the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s release.
