From Beijing’s Silence to Delhi’s Rise: India’s Moment at BRICS 2025

When the BRICS Summit commenced in Brazil in July 2025, the global stage was set for a pivotal moment in emerging-market diplomacy. But this year’s edition was marked not just by economic resolutions or multilateral ambitions — it was overshadowed by an unmistakable absence. For the first time since 2012, Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend the summit.

In his place, Chinese technocrat and former senior official Wang Yang represented Beijing — a move that has sent ripples across geopolitical corridors and triggered widespread speculation of a political power struggle in China’s top echelons.

This unprecedented absence raises a crucial two-part question: Why did Xi Jinping stay away — and what does it mean for India?

Behind Closed Doors: Xi Jinping’s Disappearance

Xi Jinping’s leadership has long been synonymous with centralised power, assertive diplomacy, and an ambitious global agenda. From abolishing term limits in 2018 to launching the Belt and Road Initiative, Xi has worked to cement China’s place as a counterweight to Western hegemony. However, in recent weeks, a strange silence has surrounded him.

Reports emerging from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Western think tanks indicate that Xi has not been seen in public for several weeks. The People’s Daily, the Chinese Communist Party’s official mouthpiece, has not published images or statements from him. More tellingly, state broadcasters have referred to him by name without his customary titles — a subtle yet significant departure from Communist Party protocol.

Some sources suggest Xi is in poor health; others point to something more drastic — a palace coup orchestrated by military generals and reformist party insiders frustrated with the growing instability under his rule.

Internal Crisis in China: Unrest in the Party and the PLA

China, despite its global power status, is currently navigating a minefield of internal crises:

📉 Youth unemployment has crossed 20%, leading to social anxiety among the country’s urban middle class.

🏭 The economy is slowing due to post-COVID shocks, a collapsing property sector, and Western decoupling efforts.

🇹🇼 Military overstretch is evident as China eyes Taiwan, escalates tensions in the South China Sea, and maintains troop levels near the Indian border.

According to regional intelligence briefings, senior generals in the PLA have pushed back against Xi’s aggressive military posture, especially directives to prepare for a Taiwan offensive by 2027. Many see such moves as strategically unviable, and worse, potentially suicidal.

The situation echoes the opaque political upheaval of the late Soviet Union — where economic strain, military dissatisfaction, and elite fragmentation triggered the collapse of leadership.

The Rise of Wang Yang: A Power Transition in Motion?

In Xi Jinping’s absence, the Chinese delegation to BRICS was led by Wang Yang, a veteran bureaucrat known for his technocratic acumen and reformist leanings. His sudden elevation to the global stage, and his participation in a summit historically attended by heads of state, suggests a soft transition may already be underway.

While the Chinese government has not confirmed any change in leadership, Wang Yang’s visibility signals two possibilities:

1. A managed transition to prevent instability amid economic slowdown and elite dissent.
2. A broader attempt by the Communist Party to recalibrate China’s image, from strongman leadership to institutional pragmatism.

India’s Moment: Strategic Leverage in Xi’s Absence

Xi Jinping’s nonattendance, coupled with Russia’s remote participation due to its continued isolation over Ukraine, has elevated India’s diplomatic profile at BRICS 2025.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, now the senior-most leader in the BRICS grouping, has seized this moment to reassert India’s position as a reliable, democratic, and globally engaged power.

India’s emerging benefits include:

🧭 Leadership of the Global South: India can now shape BRICS narratives on de-dollarisation, digital trade, and development financing without Chinese overreach.

🛡️ Border Stability: A weakened or distracted Chinese leadership reduces the risk of flashpoints along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

💰 Economic Opportunity: With global investors wary of China’s opacity and political risk, India stands to gain from increased foreign investment and manufacturing relocation.

In other words, Xi Jinping’s silence is India’s voice on the world stage.

Caution Amid Opportunity

While India may benefit from the relative vacuum in Chinese assertiveness, strategic caution is warranted. History has shown that autocratic regimes under stress often manufacture external threats to consolidate power. A sudden flare-up along the Himalayan frontier or in cyberspace cannot be ruled out.

Furthermore, until Beijing officially confirms a transition, Xi Jinping’s potential return cannot be discounted. In previous disappearances, such as in 2012 and during the COVID years, Xi re-emerged stronger — often after purging dissenting factions.

Hence, New Delhi must remain alert, calibrate its diplomatic messaging, and avoid premature conclusions.

Conclusion: A Turning Point for BRICS—and Asia

The 2025 BRICS Summit may be remembered not only for its official declarations but as a turning point in China’s internal trajectory—and with it, the balance of global power. If Xi Jinping has indeed been sidelined, it could mark the slow unraveling of China’s strongman model.

For India, this is more than a moment of observation—it’s a call to leadership. As China contends with uncertainty, New Delhi must seize the initiative: to emerge as a stable democratic counterweight, a connector between global North and South, and a champion of reform without repression.

In the theater of global diplomacy, absence can speak louder than any speech. Xi Jinping’s silence at BRICS resonates deeply—and India is ready to respond.

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