The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, reported that he will not participate in the G20 summit taking place in the last week of November in Johannesburg, South Africa. Rubio expressed that he makes this decision because he believes that South Africa is carrying out controversial actions, particularly mentioning land expropriation, which has been criticized by U.S. President Donald Trump.
"I WILL not attend the G20 summit in Johannesburg. South Africa is doing very bad things: expropriating private property, using the G20 to promote 'solidarity, equality, and sustainability.' In other words: DEI and climate change," Rubio stated in a statement.
For his part, Trump has announced the suspension of all future funding to South Africa, accusing the African country of violating Human Rights due to land expropriation. However, Cyril Ramaphosa, the South African president, has defended the legality of these measures, explaining that they seek to ensure equitable access to land.
In response to the accusations from the United States, the South African government has come out to deny the allegations of abuses made since the Trump Administration. South Africa's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ronald Lamola, stated that South Africa is a democratic country committed to human rights and that the laws governing expropriations are similar to those in the United States.
Rubio indicated that the expropriations in South Africa are one of the reasons why he will not attend the Johannesburg summit. Additionally, he mentioned differences in criteria regarding climate change and inclusion between South Africa and Trump's current policy.
China expressed its support for South Africa's presidency in the G20 following Rubio's statements. South African Minister Lamola pointed out that the African country's presidency in the G20 aims to promote equal treatment among nations, offering to continue dialogue with the United States based on these principles.
