Chinese President Xi Jinping will likely skip the upcoming BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro—his first absence since taking office. Beijing cites scheduling conflicts, but Brazilian officials believe the real reason is diplomatic discomfort over a state dinner invitation extended to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

President Xi Jinping will miss a meeting of BRICS leaders in Rio de Janeiro, according to a Brazilian official familiar with the matter, marking the first time the Chinese leader has skipped the summit since taking power.

Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to skip the BRICS Summit in Brazil next month, which, if confirmed, will be his first-ever absence from the meeting of the grouping of emerging economies since taking office 12 years ago,