It was anticipated that he will speak with the presidents of the other BRICS nations. Wang Wentao, China's minister of commerce, took Xi Jinping's place and read his remarks. Wang was extremely critical of the US in his speech.

Wang said at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg while reading Xi Jinping's address that any nation opposing American domination in international affairs and financial markets must be ready to fight back. In his speech, Wang underlined that everyone has the freedom to pursue a prosperous life and that all nations have the right to progress.

Wang made the following observation after reading Xi Jinping's speech: "However, a nation that is immersed in a mindset of supremacy is emerging alongside thriving markets and developing countries." Those who are making progress toward development are turning into targets. On Monday night, Xi Jinping flew into South Africa, but he skipped the BRICS Business Forum on Tuesday. China has not offered any explanations for Xi's absence.

The German Marshall Fund's Boni Glaser, the Managing Director of the Indo-Pacific Program, expressed surprise at Xi Jinping's absence. She expressed her worries in writing, speculating that anything might be wrong. In response to Glaser's tweet from China, Ambassador Jorge Guajardo, a former Mexican ambassador to China, said, "This is important news. China rarely misses a multinational gathering, so an announced absence is significant. especially because the foundation for this was built with India. If accurate, something is undoubtedly wrong.

According to Bloomberg News, Xi Jinping attended a dinner hosted by the president of South Africa along with the presidents of Brazil, India, and Russia. He didn't attend the BRICS Business Forum as scheduled, though. Prior to this, on Tuesday, Xi Jinping met with Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, and the two nations talked on enhancing their roles in the Global South.

Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are the five emerging markets and developing nations that make up the BRICS alliance. More than 30 heads of state are present at the Johannesburg Summit, together with Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General.