The News
South Africa’s president opened Africa’s first G20 with a defense of multilateralism, arguing its erosion “presents a threat to global growth and stability” — but several finance ministers, including US Treasury Scott Bessent, were notably absent.
The poor attendance underscored geopolitical tensions involving South Africa, from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (US hawks have slammed Pretoria for its ties to Moscow), to Beijing’s alleged expansionism (South Africa has drawn ire for relations with China), and the war in Gaza (Pretoria wants Israel’s actions deemed a genocide).
That key players decided to skip the meeting — the US had been critical of South Africa and said it would not take part, while Brazil, China, India, Japan, and Mexico are also not attending — points to the depth of the fractures in what was a major multilateral forum.