China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi will reportedly skip the upcoming BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting scheduled to be held in New Delhi on May 14-15, with Beijing citing “scheduling reasons” for his absence.
According to multiple reports, the main reason behind Wang Yi’s absence is the overlap between the BRICS meeting and high-level diplomatic engagements in Beijing, including the expected visit of U.S. President Donald Trump to China. Beijing is likely to send a deputy foreign minister to represent the country at the summit instead.
The BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is being hosted by India as part of its 2026 BRICS presidency. The gathering comes at a crucial geopolitical moment, with the ongoing West Asia crisis expected to dominate discussions among member nations.
Despite Wang Yi’s likely absence, Russia has confirmed participation by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi is also expected to attend, although reports suggest Tehran may ultimately send a deputy minister depending on the evolving security situation in West Asia.
Diplomatic observers note that the Delhi meeting could become particularly significant because it may bring together senior representatives from Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates for the first time since tensions escalated in West Asia earlier this year.
India’s BRICS presidency has already faced diplomatic challenges due to differences among member nations over the West Asia conflict. Previous BRICS meetings reportedly failed to produce joint statements on the issue because of disagreements between some member countries.
Even though Wang Yi is skipping the Delhi meeting, both India and China have recently reiterated support for cooperation within the BRICS framework. The two countries are expected to continue diplomatic coordination ahead of the BRICS Leaders’ Summit likely to be hosted in India later this year.
