China Supports South Africa in Hosting BRICS Activities, Xi Says

  • Pretoria is considering changing venue of BRICS summit
  • South Africa in quandary over whether to arrest Russian leader

Cyril Ramaphosa and Xi Jinping in 2018.

Photographer: Andy Wong/Pool/Getty Images
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China supports South Africa in hosting various BRICS activities this year, President Xi Jinping told his counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa Friday in a phone call, according to a statementBloomberg Terminal from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The call took place as Pretoria considers switching the venue of an upcoming summit of heads of state from the five-member bloc to avoid having to execute an international arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin if he attends. The bloc’s other members are Brazil and India.