World
Xi Jinping to make state visit to South Africa, attend BRICS summit
Trip will be Xi’s second overseas visit of 2023 and comes as China attempts to expand its geopolitical influence.
China’s President Xi Jinping will attend the summit of BRICS leaders in South Africa as he makes a state visit to the country next week.
“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 August 21 to 24,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in an online statement.
The visit will be Xi’s second international trip of 2023, after he travelled to Russia in March. The Chinese president previously visited South Africa in 2018 as he sought to enhance his country’s diplomatic and economic ties in Africa.
The five BRICS countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will meet in Johannesburg next week to discuss how to turn a loose club of nations accounting for a quarter of the global economy into a geopolitical force that can challenge the developed world’s dominance.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who faces an international arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, will take part by video rather than attending in person.
A total of 69 countries have been invited to the summit in South Africa, including all African states, and expansion is expected to be high on the agenda. Countries including Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Argentina and Ethiopia have shown interest in joining the group either formally or informally.
China, seeking to expand its geopolitical influence amid its ongoing rivalry with the United States, has said it “welcomes more like-minded partners to join the ‘BRICS family’ at an early date”.
Russia also supports expansion, while Brazil has resisted, fearing it could undermine the group’s stature. India is on the fence.
The term BRIC was first coined by a Goldman Sachs economist to describe the rise of Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2001. Those countries had their first summit in 2009 in Russia, and when South Africa joined the following year, the group became known as BRICS.
BRICS countries account for more than 40 percent of the world’s population and about 26 percent of the global economy.
Besides attending the BRICS meeting, Xi will also cochair the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, the Chinese foreign ministry said.
World
Macron heads to Germany in first French presidential state visit in 24 years
World
Hamas launches rocket barrage into Israel from Rafah, sounding alarms in Tel Aviv
Hamas terrorists launched a barrage of rockets into Israel on Sunday, with roughly a dozen of them being fired from the hotly contested city of Rafah.
Israel’s Iron Dome successfully intercepted the majority of the rockets, with alarms sounding in Tel Aviv and other major cities. The strike comes as Israeli forces are increasing operations in and around Rafah, what Israel says is the final major stronghold for Hamas in Gaza.
Hamas took responsibility for the barrage and argued it was retaliation for “Zionist massacres against civilians.”
Israel has faced growing international pressure to cease its operations in Rafah, which plays host to roughly 1.5 million displaced Gazans. Israel encouraged civilians in the region to leave areas where they conducted military operations against Hamas in an effort to minimize civilian casualties.
GROWING CONTROVERSY OVER BIDEN’S GAZA PIER FUELS CONCERNS OVER COST, SECURITY
Rafah lies on the border with Egypt and had served as a major artery for humanitarian aid. Israel took control of the Gazan side of the border this week, however, and Egypt responded by refusing to allow further aid through.
US MILITARY CONSTRUCTS HULKING METAL PIER AMID BIDEN’S $320 MILLION GAMBLE TO GET AID INTO GAZA
Egypt refuses to reopen its side of the Rafah crossing until control of the Gaza side is handed back to Palestinians. It agreed to temporarily divert traffic through Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing, Gaza’s main cargo terminal, after a call between President Biden and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
Hundreds of aid trucks traveled through Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing this weekend, but United Nations workers say they have had difficulty accessing the aid due to heavy fighting nearby.
The new aid agreement comes as a “floating pier” created on the Gaza coast by the U.S. suffered damage this weekend. The pier remains mostly operational, but four vessels that had served to stabilize the pier were detached due to rough weather.
The U.S. spent roughly $320 million constructing the pier, which has been a conduit for aid from the U.S. and other countries. While the pier has been used to transfer roughly 569 metric tons of aid into Gaza, as of last week none of that aid had been delivered to Palestinians, the Pentagon confirmed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
World
Macron pays Germany a state visit for the first time in 24 years
Germany and France, the EU’s largest economies, have long been seen as the driving force of European integration, despite occasional policy differences.
For the first time in 24 years, a French president has paid a state visit to Germany.
President Emmanuel Macron arrived on Sunday for a three-day trip, intended to emphasise the strong ties between the European Union’s leading powers.
Initially set for last July, the visit was postponed due to riots in France following the police killing of a 17-year-old.
While Macron is used to visiting Germany to coordinate EU and foreign policy, this is the first state visit with full ceremonial honours since Jacques Chirac’s visit in 2000.
Macron and his wife, Brigitte, were hosted by Germany’s president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, as Germany celebrates the 75th anniversary of its post-World War II constitution.
Steinmeier put on a state banquet for Macron at Bellevue Palace in Berlin Sunday evening.
On Monday, the two presidents will travel to Dresden, where Macron will deliver a speech.
They will visit then Muenster in western Germany on Tuesday.
The state visit will conclude with a meeting between Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and ministers from both countries at a government guest house outside Berlin.
Germany and France, the EU’s largest economies, have long been seen as the driving force of European integration, despite occasional policy differences.
This was evident earlier this year when the two countries had differing positions on whether Western countries should rule out sending troops to Ukraine.
Macron did not rule out putting boots on the ground in Ukraine, though Scholz quickly distanced himself from these remarks.
Nonetheless, both nations remain strong supporters of Kyiv.
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