South Africa opens G20 talks amid US snub

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for a renewed commitment to multilateralism and international law at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Johannesburg, emphasizing their importance in addressing global crises.

The meeting, hosted by South Africa as the first African state to lead the G20, is being overshadowed by the absence of senior US officials. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio boycotted the meeting, accusing South Africa of promoting “anti-Americanism,” while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent cited prior commitments as his reason for not attending the upcoming G20 finance ministers’ meeting. The US is represented by the deputy chief of mission from its South African embassy.

Ramaphosa highlighted the global challenges of rising intolerance, conflicts, and climate change, stressing the need for consensus among major powers.

“It is critical that the principles of the UN Charter, multilateralism, and international law remain at the centre of all our endeavors,” he said.

Relations between South Africa and the US have deteriorated since Donald Trump took office. Trump has cut aid to South Africa, accusing the government of “unjust” treatment of the Afrikaner minority and criticizing South Africa’s legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice in 2023.

Rubio, in a post on social media platform X, declared his refusal to attend the meeting, saying South Africa was using the G20 to push “diversity, equity, inclusion, and climate change” agendas, which he claimed were against US interests.

South Africa holds the G20 presidency until November 2025, when it will be handed over to the US. The G20 consists of 19 countries, along with the African Union and European Union, representing over 80% of the global economy and two-thirds of the world’s population.

Credit: BBC