Chinese President Xi Jinping who landed in Johannesburg on Monday late at night skipped the crucial BRICS Business Forum meeting despite his multiple pushes to boost the Chinese economy on the sidelines of the mega event.
Despite being present in South Africa, his Commerce Minister Wang Wentao delivered the speech on behalf of the Chinese President wherein he came heavily on the "West's hegemony" and asserted it deliberately hindering the path of those nations which dare to progress at a rapid pace or more than its economy.
"Some country obsessed with maintaining its hegemony has gone out of its way to cripple the emerging markets and developing countries," he said in a veiled attack on the Biden administration.
It is worth mentioning that the world leaders have accumulated in South Africa for the much-awaited 15th BRICS Summit. During the Business summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov were present at the event.
West has an obsession with maintaining its hegemony: China
Further, the Chinese minister took a hard stance on America and claimed it has an obsession with maintaining its hegemony and added it does not want other developing nations to flourish. He staunchly said that every country has a right to develop and pursue a happy life.
"Everything we do is to deliver better lives to our people. But some country obsessed with maintaining their hegemony has gone out of their way to cripple emerging markets and developing countries. Whoever is developing fast, becomes its target of containment, whoever is catching up becomes its target of obstruction. But, this is futile. Every country has the right to development and the people in every country have the freedom to pursue a happy life," he added.
“Right now, changes in the world are unfolding in ways like never before, bringing human society to a critical juncture. Should we pursue cooperation and integration or just succumb to division and confrontation? Should we work together to maintain peace and stability or just sleepwalk into the abyss of a new cold war?” he further questioned.
Meanwhile, as of writing this article, there was no clarification issued by the Chinese side as to why Xi did not attend the meeting despite the fact he had been voicing for more and more support to other nations.
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