Absences Loom Over G20 Summit in South Africa
South Africa is bracing for an underwhelming Group of 20 (G20) summit in Johannesburg this weekend, as notable leaders from the United States, China, Russia, Argentina, and Mexico will be absent. President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed optimism on Thursday, suggesting that the US might reconsider its decision and possibly attend the summit after all.
“We’ve received a notification from the United States, which is still discussing ways to join the summit,” Ramaphosa noted at a press conference alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa.
He remarked that these developments occurred quite late, just before the summit’s start, adding that they needed to assess what this really means in practical terms. “In some ways, this is a positive sign, because, as I often say, boycott politics never works,” he explained.
He emphasized the importance of the US’s presence, stating, “The United States is the world’s largest economy, and we definitely need it there.” Meanwhile, South Africa’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the US for trying to extract concessions by not providing a final statement on the summit while skipping it.
Crispin Phiri, a spokesperson for the Ministry, said that an American absence would diminish the US’s role in the G20’s conclusions and warned that coercion from absent parties was damaging to collective action and could lead to institutional paralysis.
Reportedly, the US embassy communicated concerns to the Ramaphosa government, indicating that South Africa’s G20 priorities were at odds with US policy, and thus the US opposed a consensus outcome document without its consent.
President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously criticized South Africa’s handling of the summit, feeling that the country was pushing ideological points and inviting more attendees than necessary. Rubio had remarked that South Africa was, in essence, using the G20 to advance agendas around “solidarity and climate change.”
In early November, Trump accused the South African government of mistreating white citizens and expropriating farmland, asserting that he wanted to prioritize American interests over any anti-Americanism.
Ramaphosa insisted that a last-minute date change reported was “fake news,” and stated that only a temporary representative from Pretoria would attend the event to formally pass the G20 presidency to the United States.
White House press secretary Caroline Levitt confirmed that the US would not participate in formal discussions and noted dissatisfaction with Ramaphosa’s comments directed toward the US leadership.
Despite the absences, Argentine President Javier Milei, a Trump supporter, plans to send his Foreign Minister in his stead. Russian President Vladimir Putin will also be absent, opting to send a high-level representative instead. His lack of attendance at G20 events has been consistent since 2019, following an ICC arrest warrant against him.
Just days after Trump’s announcement of his absence, Chinese President Xi Jinping also decided not to attend without providing a specific reason. Although he won’t be present, China will send Premier Li Qiang to represent the country.
Also missing is Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has chosen to focus on domestic events. She had previously attended the G20 summit in Rio but has limited her travel since then, offering scant explanation for her absence this time.
