President Xi Jinping of China, traveling to Africa for the first time in five years, pledged greater cooperation with South Africa to enhance the voice of poor nations, and commended developing countries for “shaking off the yoke of colonialism.”His comments came at a meeting with the leaders of the BRICS, a club of emerging nations, where he also called for members to “accelerate” its expansion to serve as a counterweight to the West. “At present, the Cold War mentality is lingering, and the geopolitical situation is grim,” Mr. Xi said on Wednesday. The grouping, he continued, should “bring more countries into the BRICS family so as to pool our strength, pool our wisdom to make global governance more just and equitable.”On his visit to South Africa this week for the BRICS meetings, Mr. Xi has sought to cast himself as a leader of the developing world. Mr. Xi kicked off his four-day trip on Tuesday with a state visit and was received with an honor guard and a 21-gun salute.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 23, 2023 13:34 UTC