BRICS leaders will gather for a summit in South Africa this week, while major elections will take place in Pakistan, Cambodia, and Mali. It is also a significant week in the ongoing global trade dispute, with the WTO director-general addressing the press amid calls for reform and a top EU official heading to the White House for trade talks.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will join the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa – plus special guest, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – in Johannesburg for the 10th BRICS summit. The summit is themed 'Collaboration for Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution,” and in the current environment, "shared prosperity" is particularly salient. South Africa is the only BRICS nation not targeted by US tariffs or sanctions, and an emphasis on increasing trading within the bloc and upholding the rules-based order is likely.  

Commerce hasn't been far from the headlines since Donald Trump launched an assault on the global trading system, and the issue will remain in the spotlight following the US president's threat to escalate the tariff row with China. WTO director-general Roberto Azevedo will hold a press conference on Wednesday, in the wake of a China-EU agreement to cooperate on reform of the organization. Meanwhile, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will head to the White House for talks. Trump recently labeled the European bloc a leading US "foe" on trade, has threatened to impose tariffs on EU automobiles and responded furiously to the EU's five billion US dollar fine on Google.

Elections are aplenty in the week ahead. Pakistan votes for a new parliament on Wednesday, with former cricket superstar Imran Khan in with a shot of becoming the country's next prime minister following a violent election campaign. Cambodians also vote for a new parliament, with the Cambodian People's Party of Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on course to take a majority. A presidential election will take place in Mali, despite ongoing violence in the West African country. Incumbent president Ibrahima Boubacar Keita and opposition frontrunner Soumaila Cisse are leading candidates. There will also be last-ditch campaigning ahead of elections in Zimbabwe.

Monday: Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Rwanda, South Africa and Mauritius this week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also in Africa, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his annual state of the nation address, the UN's top court is due to rule in an emergency case brought by Qatar against the UAE, fresh UN-led talks on reunifying Cyprus begin, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo makes a high profile speech on Iran.

Tuesday: Mexico hosts Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra and Chilean President Sebastian Pinera at the 13th Pacific Alliance Summit, aimed at increasing trade with Asia, candidate registration opens for the Democratic Republic of Congo's presidential election, Modi meets President Yoweri Museveni on a visit to Uganda.

Wednesday: The three-day BRICS summit gets underway in Johannesburg, Pakistanis vote in a general election, World Trade Organization director-general Roberto Azevedo holds a press conference, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will talk trade with US President Donald Trump at the White House, and Pompeo is expected to be grilled about the Trump-Putin summit as he testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Thursday: Uganda's Constitutional Court rules on a challenge to a law scrapping the presidential age limit of 75 years, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and French President Emmanuel Macron meet in Madrid to discuss migration.

Friday: Portuguese PM Antonio Costa hosts Macron and Sanchez at a summit on energy interconnections in Lisbon, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed travels to the US, Cambodian political parties hold final campaign rallies, and Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF holds a major rally ahead of July 30 elections.

Saturday: Nelson Chamisa, leader of Zimbabwe's largest opposition party MDC, addresses a final campaign rally, while Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra is expected to announce justice reforms on the country's national day.

Sunday: Cambodians vote in an election for the country's 123-seat parliament, and Malians go to the polls in a presidential election.