Xi and Putin to Take Part in BRICS Trade Summit Without Modi

China has confirmed that President Xi Jinping will take part in a virtual BRICS summit convened by Brazil to discuss Donald Trump’s trade policy. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will skip the meeting but will send a senior representative instead.

“President Xi Jinping will attend the BRICS Leaders’ online summit in Beijing on Sept. 8 and deliver an important speech,” according to a statement from China’s Foreign Ministry.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will also take part in the summit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week, according to Russian news agency Tass.

Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin on Sept. 1.

Photographer: Suo Takekuma/AFP/Getty Images

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