A summit of leaders from the BRICS group of major emerging economies kicks off in Brazil Sunday – but without the top leader of its most powerful member.

Xi Jinping skips BRICS Summit for the first time amid speculation of political turbulence in China and divisions between member nations over trade and strategic interests

At their latest summit in Brazil, the BRICS nations once again portrayed themselves as an emerging geopolitical heavyweight. Yet the internal contradictions within this expanding group remain plain to see.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan spent years pushing a grand vision. A neo-Ottoman revival. A stronger Turkey, which is independent of the West. But in the halls of BRICS diplomacy, that vision fell apart.

China’s vast clean-energy industry has spearheaded a BRICS solar-power boom, with the bloc accounting for more than half of global generation last year, according to a new report.

The BRICS expansion is also likely to fuel competition – and potential friction – between China and India, whose ties have already been strained by a simmering border conflict.

Both Jakarta and Hanoi seek to preserve strategic autonomy while navigating an increasingly polarized international environment. BRICS may offer a third path.

President Donald Trump’s threat to impose new tariffs on India over its participation in the BRICS forum puts New Delhi in a tough position as it races to finalize a favorable trade deal with the US.Trump said Tuesday that India could face an additional 10% tariff alongside other members of BRICS — a bloc of emerging economies he has labeled “Anti-American.