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1. In a first, Xi will miss Brics in Rio as Li leads China delegation: sources
Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend next week’s Brics summit in Rio de Janeiro, marking his first-ever absence from the gathering of leading emerging economies, the Post learned from multiple sources.
2. White House clarifies Trump’s comment on China buying Iranian oil
US President Donald Trump’s declaration on Tuesday that China “can now continue” to buy Iranian oil did not signal a change in Washington’s policy on banning such trade, the White House said.
3. Blacklist to backchannels: inside the European Parliament’s unlikely China reset

Correspondence obtained by the Post reveals President Roberta Metsola’s efforts to normalise ties with Beijing in recent months, after four years of estrangement. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the recent history, not everyone is pleased.