Senior diplomat to attend BRICS meeting

Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi will attend the 13th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security in Johannesburg next week, a gathering aimed at making preparations for the BRICS Summit scheduled to be held in August.

Apart from attending the meeting, Wang, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, will also visit Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Turkiye, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning announced on Wednesday.

Calling the meeting an important platform for political and security cooperation among BRICS countries, Mao said China expects to discuss with BRICS partners the current international security situation and issues of common concerns.

During the meeting, China looks forward to building up consensus and deepening cooperation with BRICS countries, so as to inject positive energy for a world that is experiencing turbulence and transformation, the spokeswoman said.

South Africa is the current chair of BRICS, a group of emerging economies that also includes Brazil, Russia, India and China.

On Wang's visits to the three African countries, Mao said China will work with the African side to deliver on the outcomes of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to further boost the growth of their comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership.

Beijing will also work with Ankara to actively advance Belt and Road cooperation and push for the development of the strategic cooperation relationship between the two countries, she added.

As a strong supporter of the Belt and Road Initiative, Turkiye signed a memorandum of understanding with China in 2015 to align its Middle Corridor plan linking Turkiye and Europe with China via a trans-Caspian transport route.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin will participate in the BRICS summit by video call, Russia's state RIA news agency reported on Wednesday.

The Presidency of South Africa said in a statement that Putin will not attend the meeting in person and will be represented by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.