The G20 summit opened today in South Africa under the boycott of the United States!
Today marks the first time that Africa has hosted the G20 summit in its modern history. The two-day Johannesburg agenda, chaired by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, saw all G20 members except the United States arrive in South Africa.
During the preparation for the summit, South Africa held more than 130 meetings to draft a joint outcome declaration, but there were different attitudes among the countries towards the declaration. It remains uncertain whether the summit will ultimately pass the joint declaration. On November 15, the United States warned South Africa through diplomatic channels not to issue a joint statement, to avoid creating an illusion that there is consensus on the "priorities proposed by South Africa that are contrary to U.S. political views" within the G20.
Under the firm opposition of the United States, South Africa plans to adopt the declaration through consensus: "We believe the G20 can send a signal that the world can continue without the United States! But if the conditions for passing a joint statement are not met, the chair's statement will become the final document of the summit."
Since the G20 summits since 2008, Johannesburg may become the only case in history where participants failed to pass a joint statement.
South Africa's term as the G20 chair will end after the summit and be handed over to the United States on December 1. However, due to the refusal of the U.S. president to attend, it is currently unclear how the handover ceremony on the last day of the meeting will proceed.
The U.S. president announced in early November that the U.S. representative would not go to Johannesburg to attend the G20 summit, calling holding the summit in South Africa a disgrace. The president drew attention of countries to the situation of white rights in South Africa, arguing that whites are being discriminated against and subjected to violence.
The acting head of the U.S. embassy in Pretoria has hoped to participate in the chairmanship transfer ceremony in the past two days, but due to his low rank, he has not yet received approval.
As the G20 chair, South African President outlined three main goals and incorporated them as priorities into the global agenda, including the fight against global inequality; fundamental reform of the international credit system to alleviate the debt burden of developing countries; and recognition that peace is the most important task in promoting African development.
The three priorities proposed by South Africa have been firmly opposed by the United States, which considers them contrary to U.S. interests. Without the participation of U.S. representatives, and under the intense division and sabotage by the United States, whether this summit can achieve the expected results remains to be seen.
Original text: www.toutiao.com/article/1849438424975497/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.