Chinese President Xi Jinping warned against “expanding” military ties on Wednesday in a speech ahead of a virtual summit with top leaders from Russia, India, Brazil and South Africa. Beijing is hosting the meeting of the influential club of BRICS emerging economies, which accounts for more than 40 percent of the global population and nearly a quarter of the world’s gross domestic product. Three of its members – China, India and South Africa – have abstained from voting on a United Nations resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Xi told the BRICS business forum that the “Ukraine cri…