Embattled Xi, Putin Look to BRICS for Solace
Matryoshka dolls depicting Vladimir Putin, Russia's president and Xi Jinping, China's president in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2019.
Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/BloombergChinese President Xi Jinping arrived at the annual BRICS summit in Johannesburg today with big trouble brewing at home: a decelerating economy, a property-market crisis and persisting trade tensions with the US.
Things are even worse for his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who’s missing the gathering of emerging-market powers to avoid an international arrest warrant and will give a remote speech. His 18-month war in Ukraine shows no sign of ending and he’s facing setbacks on the battlefield.