Johannesburg: In spite of being present in South Africa, Chinese President Xi Jinping skipped the key meeting of BRICS Business Forum which was held in Johannesburg and was attended by the leaders of the grouping.

China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao delivered the speech on behalf of the Chinese President in which he said, "Some country obsessed with maintaining its hegemony has gone out of its way to cripple the emerging markets and developing countries".

Xi Jinping is on a state visist to South Africa which is also coinciding with the 15th BRICS Summit.

In a vieled attack at US, Commerce Minister Wentao said, "Everything we do is to deliver better lives to our people. But some country obsessed with maintaining its hegemony has gone out of its way to cripple the emerging markets and developing countries. Whoever is developing fast, becomes its target of containment, whoever is catching up becomes its target of obstruction. But, this is futile. Every country has the right to development and the people in every country have the freedom to pursue a happy life."

“Right now, changes in the world are unfolding in ways like never before, bringing human society to a critical juncture. Should we pursue cooperation and integration or just succumb to division and confrontation? Should we work together to maintain peace and stability or just sleepwalk into the abyss of a new cold war?”he further questioned.

Wang on Tuesday said the BRICS Business Council has deepened cooperation, contributing to social and economic developments of BRICS countries and helping sustain global economic growth.

“It is my great honour to read out the remarks on behalf of Xi Jinping, President of the Republic of China at the closing ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum 2023,” the Chinese Commerce Minister said.

“I wish to extend my warm congratulations on the success of the BRICS Business Forum in South Africa. Ten years ago in South Africa, we BRICS leaders witnessed the birth of the BRICS Business Council. Since then, the council has stayed true to its founding mission. It has seized opportunities to deepen cooperation contributing to social and economic developments of BRICS countries and helping sustain global economic growth,” he added.

The business forum saw the attendance of South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov was also present at the event virtually.

He said that the course of history will be shaped by the choices made today.

Meanwhile, PM Modi on Wednesday said the BRICS Business Forum provided him with the opportunity to highlight India’s growth trajectory, the steps taken to boost ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and public service delivery.

“BRICS Business Forum gave me an opportunity to highlight India’s growth trajectory and the steps taken to boost ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and public service delivery. Also emphasised on India’s strides in digital payments, infrastructure creation, the world of StartUps and more,” PM Modi tweeted.

PM Modi in a special message at the BRICS Business Forum said mutual trust and transparency can help create a big impact, especially in the Global South.

"There is no doubt that India will become the world's growth engine. This is because India took challenges as an opportunity for economic reforms," he said.

"With the use of technology, India has made major leaps in financial inclusion, benefiting rural women the most. In the last nine years, people's income has almost doubled...," the Prime Minister said in the short address.

PM Modi arrived in South Africa on Tuesday to attend the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg from August 22-24 at the invitation of the country’s president Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa.

This will be the PM's third visit to South Africa and the trip marks the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between India and South Africa.

This year's BRICS is under the presidency of South Africa. The theme of this year's summit is: "BRICS and Africa: Partnership for mutually accelerated growth, sustainable development and inclusive multilateralism."