US Reverses Course to Attend G20 Summit in South Africa.
In a last-minute switch, the United States notified South Africa on Thursday that it plans to participate in this weekend’s G20 summit in Johannesburg, announced President Cyril Ramaphosa.
President Donald Trump’s administration had previously declared it would not attend the November 22-23 meeting and insisted that no final statement by G20 leaders could be issued without its involvement.
This year, the US has had disagreements with South Africa on various international and domestic policies, extending its objections to Pretoria’s G20 priorities for the first-ever summit held in Africa.
“We have received notice from the United States, a notice which we are still in discussions with them over, about a change of mind about participating in one shape, form, or other in the summit,” Ramaphosa told reporters.
“This comes at a late hour before the summit begins. And so therefore, we do need to engage in those types of discussions to see how practical it is and what it finally really means,” he added.
There was no immediate confirmation from US officials.
Ramaphosa stated: “We still need to engage with them to understand fully what their participation at the 11th hour means and how it will manifest itself.”
In a note to the government on Saturday, the US embassy reiterated that it would not attend the summit, stating South Africa’s G20 priorities “run counter to the US policy views and we cannot support consensus on any documents negotiated under your presidency.”
Ramaphosa earlier on Thursday emphasized that South Africa would not be bullied.
“It cannot be that a country’s geographical location or income or army determines who has a voice and who is spoken down to,” he told delegates at a G20 curtain-raiser event.
He added, “There should be no bullying of one nation by another.”
– ‘Positive sign’ –
Ramaphosa called the apparent change of heart “a positive sign.”
“All countries are here, and the United States, the biggest economy in the world, needs to be here,” he said.
South Africa chose “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability” as the theme of its G20 presidency, which includes 19 countries and two regional bodies, the European Union and the African Union.
Its agenda emphasizes strengthening disaster resilience, improving debt sustainability for low-income nations, financing a “just energy transition,” and harnessing “critical minerals for inclusive growth and sustainable development.”
After early objections from Washington, it committed to advancing its program and aiming to reach consensus on a leader’s statement about the meeting’s outcomes.
“We will not be told by anyone absent that we cannot adopt a declaration or make any decisions at the summit,” Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola stated Thursday.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has singled out South Africa in several issues, notably making false claims that white Afrikaners are being systematically “killed and slaughtered” in the country.
He expelled South Africa’s ambassador in March and imposed 30 percent trade tariffs, the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.
US businesses were well represented at a separate Business 20 (B20) event that concluded in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Suzanne Clark, head of the US Chamber of Commerce, praised South Africa for promoting “real collaboration between G20 nations during a time of rapid change” during its rotating presidency, which will transfer to the United States in 2026.
“The US Chamber of Commerce will use our B20 leadership to foster international collaboration,” Clark said.
The United States has significant business interests in South Africa, with more than 600 US companies operating there, according to the South African Embassy in Washington.
G20 members account for 85 percent of global GDP and approximately two-thirds of the world’s population.
