【By Observer Net, Wang Yi】Amid the dispute between South Africa and the United States over whether the US will attend the G20 Leaders' 20th Summit scheduled for November 22-23, a verbal confrontation has emerged.

According to Reuters, South African President Ramaphosa said on the 20th that after the Trump administration announced its boycott, the US has signaled a possible "change of attitude" and participation in the G20 summit in some form. However, the White House denied this claim, calling it "fake news."

"We have received notice from the US, which is still under discussion with them, concerning their possible change of attitude and participation in the summit in some way," said Ramaphosa during a joint press conference with European Commission President von der Leyen and European Council President Costa.

Ramaphosa stated, "The notice was issued a few days before the summit, so we need to discuss related matters to see the feasibility and what it ultimately means."

On November 20, Ramaphosa spoke at a press conference. Video screenshot

However, on the same day, a White House official told Reuters that the US would send an envoy to attend the ceremony where South Africa hands over the rotating chairmanship of the G20, but the possibility of participation is low. The US stated, "This is fake news. The acting ambassador of the US in Pretoria will attend the handover ceremony, but it's just a formality, and the US will not join the G20 discussions."

White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt gave a clear response on the 20th in a press briefing. She revealed that the US plans to send Acting Ambassador Marc D. Dillard of the US embassy in South Africa to attend a ceremony at the end of the summit, where he will represent the US as the next G20 chair country, but will not "participate in official meetings."

Leavitt even used harsh words to accuse Ramaphosa of "running his mouth."

Caroline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary, hosts a press briefing on the 20th. Video screenshot

After Leavitt's remarks, South Africa's Presidential Spokesman Vincent Magwegwe responded on social media, stating, "The President will not hand over the chairmanship to an acting ambassador."

Since the South African government filed a case against Israel in the International Court of Justice in December 2023, alleging that Israel is committing "genocide" against Palestinians in Gaza, relations between South Africa and the US have become delicate. Starting this year, the relationship has further deteriorated. The Trump administration has repeatedly criticized South Africa's land expropriation policies and the so-called "white human rights" situation, using these as reasons to cut aid to South Africa, expel the South African ambassador, and impose a 30% tariff on South African goods starting August 7, making it the country with the highest tariff rate in sub-Saharan Africa imposed by the US.

The G20 brings together leaders of the world's largest economies to address the most pressing global issues. Earlier this month, Trump stated that Vice President Vance would attend this year's G20 summit in South Africa, but later changed his mind. On the 7th of this month, he again attacked South Africa, baselessly claiming that "white farmers in South Africa are facing genocide" and stating that no American officials would attend this G20 summit.

The difficulty lies in the fact that the US will take over the G20 rotating chairmanship from December 1, and the handover ceremony will be held at this summit, but the US's refusal to attend makes the handover ceremony difficult to conduct.

Ramaphosa visited the summit preparations on-site last week and stated, "I have previously expressed that I do not want to hand over the chairmanship to an empty chair, but it will be there. I will probably symbolically hand over the chairmanship to that empty chair and then talk to President Trump."

The New York Times pointed out that this year's summit is the first one held in Africa. As the host, South Africa will focus on highlighting the rights of the African continent and developing countries. Before the weekend's leaders' summit, dozens of meetings have already been held on multiple topics such as climate change and debt sustainability.

However, participants revealed that the US has skipped many of these meetings. Even when US officials attended, they often refused to negotiate, leading to the inability of countries to issue joint statements, as all statements must be agreed upon unanimously before being released.

Bloomberg reported that the US also stated in a diplomatic document released on November 15 that it would block any outcomes deemed as consensus within the G20, as South Africa's priorities "contradict US policy views."

Regarding the US's deliberate pressure and obstruction at the G20, the spokesperson for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa stated on the 19th that the US has lost the right to "speak" due to its boycott of the summit, and South Africa will not yield to US coercion.

Currently, South Africa is still conducting diplomatic efforts to try to push for the final release of a consensus declaration at the G20 summit. South Africa's position has also received support from at least Brazil and some European countries. As for the US, South Africa's Foreign Minister Ramola stated on the 18th that the world will continue to move forward regardless of whether the US participates or not.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer Net. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7575129918841831982/

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