South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has revealed that US officials are in talks to attend the G20 summit in Johannesburg, a U-turn from an initial boycott threatened by then-US president Donald Trump.
Trump had accused South Africa of racially discriminating against white Afrikaners and claimed that the country was hosting the G20 "in shame". He stated that this was a "disgrace" and said the US would boycott the event. However, it appears that the US has now reversed its decision.
According to Ramaphosa, South Africa is still in discussions with Washington about whether to attend the summit. The President described this as a positive sign, saying that boycott politics had never worked for him.
The G20 summit will take place in Johannesburg on Saturday and aims to promote global economic growth and address pressing issues such as climate change. However, tensions between the US and South Africa have been high over Trump's comments on racism in the country.
South African officials have vehemently denied Trump's claims and accused Washington of trying to coerce them into not attending the summit. The US had initially stated that it would only accept a "chair's statement" from the G20 leaders, which is a statement outlining the general principles and decisions made during the summit, rather than a comprehensive communique.
In response to these comments, South Africa has been working to promote its own agenda for the G20 presidency. The country aims to improve debt sustainability for low-income countries and increase finance for a "just energy transition" away from fossil fuels.
Ramaphosa has also stated that he does not want to leave an empty chair at the summit, but rather hand over the reins of the G20 presidency to Trump symbolically. However, it remains unclear whether the US will actually attend the summit or send a representative.
The G20 leaders' summit traditionally issues a communique outlining its key decisions and conclusions. Last year's summit was marked by controversy when Ukraine and its western allies criticized the final statement for failing to mention Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Trump had accused South Africa of racially discriminating against white Afrikaners and claimed that the country was hosting the G20 "in shame". He stated that this was a "disgrace" and said the US would boycott the event. However, it appears that the US has now reversed its decision.
According to Ramaphosa, South Africa is still in discussions with Washington about whether to attend the summit. The President described this as a positive sign, saying that boycott politics had never worked for him.
The G20 summit will take place in Johannesburg on Saturday and aims to promote global economic growth and address pressing issues such as climate change. However, tensions between the US and South Africa have been high over Trump's comments on racism in the country.
South African officials have vehemently denied Trump's claims and accused Washington of trying to coerce them into not attending the summit. The US had initially stated that it would only accept a "chair's statement" from the G20 leaders, which is a statement outlining the general principles and decisions made during the summit, rather than a comprehensive communique.
In response to these comments, South Africa has been working to promote its own agenda for the G20 presidency. The country aims to improve debt sustainability for low-income countries and increase finance for a "just energy transition" away from fossil fuels.
Ramaphosa has also stated that he does not want to leave an empty chair at the summit, but rather hand over the reins of the G20 presidency to Trump symbolically. However, it remains unclear whether the US will actually attend the summit or send a representative.
The G20 leaders' summit traditionally issues a communique outlining its key decisions and conclusions. Last year's summit was marked by controversy when Ukraine and its western allies criticized the final statement for failing to mention Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
I'm not surprised to hear that the US is having second thoughts about boycotting the G20 summit in Johannesburg 
. It seems like they're trying to save face after all the drama with Trump's comments on racism in South Africa 
. The fact that Ramaphosa is still keeping the door open for US officials to attend is a good sign, but it would be awesome if they actually showed up 
! Instead of boycotting, we should be celebrating global unity and cooperation over issues like climate change 
. And can you imagine if the US just handed over the G20 presidency to Trump without even attending? That's just weird 
. What do you guys think? Should South Africa be proud that they stood up for themselves against Trump's racist comments, or are there other ways they could've handled it better? 
. I'm still curious to see if Trump's presence will actually make an impact or if it'll be just a symbolic handover of the presidency. Interesting how South Africa is trying to push its own agenda for the G20 presidency and promoting sustainable energy solutions - that's something we can all get behind 
!
!!! I'm so hyped!! Cyril Ramaphosa said it's a good sign & he dont wnt 2 leav an empty chair lol 
. I thot Trump was gonna boycott it n all but guess wut? 
The US r like "okay we r comin" 
n South Africa is still negotiatin wit them bout wht's goin 2 happn @ summit 
G20 r all abt climat change n stuff, but I'm more about wut's gonna go down @ summit 
I can imagine how embarrassing it must've been for South Africa. And now, it seems like they're getting a second chance. Cyril Ramaphosa is such a cool dude, he doesn't let petty stuff get to him 
. He's all about promoting global growth and helping low-income countries. Fingers crossed the US shows up, we need more economic stability worldwide 
like South Africa just wanted to make it clear that they didn't appreciate the whole thing, but at the same time I get why Trump was all salty about it... America and South Africa have a complex history when it comes to racism, especially against white people, but you can't just dismiss the fact that there's systemic issues in the country 
. I mean, South Africa does have a history with white Afrikaners and racism, but to say they’re discriminating against them now is just not fair 
. And now the US has changed their mind about boycotting? It’s like they were all just drama queens 
. Anyway, it’d be nice if Trump just talked things out instead of tweeting his head off 
. The G20 summit should be about making progress on climate change and stuff, not petty politics 
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I mean, South Africa is just trying to make a good impression and promote global growth, right? 
.
. Do you think Trump will actually show up to the summit though? 
...