United States warns South Africa not to issue G20 statement at summit

The United States formally warned South Africa against pushing for a joint statement at this weekend’s Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg that the Trump administration is boycotting, according to a document seen by Bloomberg.

The diplomatic stand-off is particularly awkward given it’s the first time the continent is hosting a G20 and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is passing the baton to US President Donald Trump at the end of this year.

Tensions between the two men came to a head at an Oval Office meeting in May, when Ramaphosa had to endure a dressing down in front of the cameras. Trump escalated the spat further by saying he wouldn’t attend the summit, and followed up with a complete boycott of the event.

The US openly opposes South Africa’s G20 Presidency and its core agenda of solidarity, equality and sustainability — part of Ramaphosa’s push for a more inclusive world order. That adds to Trump’s false accusations Pretoria is conducting a genocide against White Afrikaners and expropriating land.

“Washington’s absence negates it role over the G20’s conclusions,” South African foreign ministry spokesman Chrispin Phiri said by phone on Wednesday. “We cannot allow coercion by absentia to become a viable tactic. It is a recipe for institutional paralysis and the breakdown of collective action.”

In the diplomatic communication delivered on November 15, the US said it would neither participate in preparatory talks before the summit, nor the gathering of world leaders this weekend. It will block any outcome framed as a consensus G20 position because South Africa’s priorities “run counter to US policy views,” according to a copy of the document.

“The US opposes issuance of any G20 summit outcome document under the premise of a consensus G20 position, without US agreement,” it said. “If a deliverable is issued under your presidency, it will be framed solely as a chair’s statement to accurately reflect the absence of consensus.”

The White House and State Department didn’t immediately respond to messages left for comment sent before normal US business hours.

Despite the US opposition, South Africa is pressing ahead with efforts to obtain a joint statement at the summit that ends on Sunday. 

Securing a declaration is a priority for South Africa. It has sought to build on the agenda advanced by recent G20 presidents from the so-called Global South – Indonesia, India and Brazil. The US takes over as G20 president in December.

“Brazil’s position is that we must have a declaration, so we are discussing it with the countries that are here,” Ambassador Philip Gough, secretary for economic and financial affairs at Brazil’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, told reporters on Wednesday. “The South African Presidency’s position is that there should be a declaration, and Brazil’s position is to strongly support having one.”

One European G20 official said their country would support either a joint declaration or a lesser chairman’s summary. The official is involved in the ongoing preparatory talks and asked not to be identified as they are private.

Germany’s government said it “fully supports” South Africa’s G20 Presidency in a statement on Monday

Most countries have lead negotiators, known as sherpas, involved in talks taking place in South Africa this week. Around 15 heads of state are expected in Johannesburg this weekend, including those from Brazil, India, Turkey. Several European presidents or prime ministers are also set to attend, as well as Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

China’s President Xi Jinping will not attend and is sending Premier Li Qiang in his place.

Sticking points in the talks include wording on gender and climate issues, according to people familiar with the discussions. Argentina, a close ally of the US, has pushed back on references to both climate finance and global climate accords, the people said.

Amid the growing tensions between Pretoria and Washington, the Trump administration has slapped 30 percent tariffs on South African exports – the highest on the continent – souring relations between the two countries further.

South Africa’s foreign minister, Ronald Lamola, told the Bloomberg Africa Business Summit on Tuesday that Pretoria had repeatedly sought to repair the relationship.

“We have always been open – the aggression is on the side of the US,” he said.