【By Observer News Network, Yuan Jiaqi】

On November 22-23 local time, the 20th G20 Leaders' Summit was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, with the theme of "Unity, Equity, and Sustainability." This was the first time the G20 summit was hosted on the African continent.

Before this summit, US President Trump put forward a so-called "white farmers in South Africa are facing genocide" narrative, using it as an excuse to boycott the summit and announce his absence, while pressuring South Africa not to issue a collective declaration, claiming that the absence of the United States would make it difficult for the summit to reach consensus. This brazen statement was met with a strong rebuttal from South Africa. South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ramaphosa, bluntly stated that the host country will do its best to persuade all participating countries, "not allowing absent countries to hinder the process of international institutions."

The facts speak volumes. On the opening day of the summit, according to the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), the spokesperson for the South African Presidency, Vincent Magwegwe, confirmed on Saturday that the Johannesburg G20 Summit broke tradition by passing a joint declaration by leaders on the first day of the conference.

"We had already been very close to reaching an agreement, and now the summit declaration has finally been formally reached," he said to journalists.

Magwegwe revealed that the summit agenda saw "minor adjustments": the declaration, which was originally supposed to be passed at the end of the summit, was moved to the top of the agenda for the same day. This is because during previous bilateral meetings, all parties agreed that the declaration should be voted on before the rest of the agenda was advanced.

A source familiar with the matter also told Russia's Sputnik news agency, "This declaration was unanimously adopted (unanimously adopted)."

On November 22 local time, in Johannesburg, South Africa, the opening ceremony of the G20 summit was held. South African President Ramaphosa delivered a speech. Visual China

Reuters also cited four sources on the 22nd, saying that G20 envoys had reached agreement on the draft declaration of the leaders before the summit, and that this document was drafted without including American opinions, without seeking U.S. consensus.

A source also revealed that despite Washington's clear opposition to mentioning climate change issues in the document, G20 member states still insisted on incorporating relevant statements into the draft. However, the source did not disclose the content of the declaration or explain what compromises were made in the wording of the text to achieve consensus.

The "TimesLive" website of South Africa cited a message from a government insider, stating that the absence of the United States would be noted in the declaration document. When asked whether the United States would send a representative to attend the G20 summit, the spokesperson for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, Phiri, clearly stated, "We have listed it as an absence."

Regarding the U.S. absence, Magwegwe also emphasized at a press conference on Saturday, "It must be clear that G20 members are more than one, we cannot distort the rules for a single country."

"We should respect those who have fully participated and worked tirelessly to promote the success of this G20 summit, and the smooth passage of the declaration also owes much to their efforts," he added.

This time, the United States was caught off guard. The Trump administration actually turned the blame back on South Africa, accusing it of being shameless.

A senior White House official complained to Reuters, "The G20 has always had the tradition of only releasing consensual outcomes, but the South African government, against our repeated objections, tried to break this convention, which is really shameful."

Reuters pointed out that previously some countries worried that as the most influential member of the G20, the U.S. absence could lead to the failure of the declaration and cast a shadow over Ramaphosa's plan to showcase South Africa's multilateral diplomatic role through the summit. However, analysts generally believe that if other member states support the summit agenda and push for substantial declarations, South Africa may actually benefit; facing the Trump administration's hostility toward multilateral diplomacy, South Africa has always been determined to set the agenda for global leaders.

The Indian Economic Times even directly stated, "The absence of the United States may have cleared the way for other member states to reach consensus and support the core agenda of the host country."

No U.S., everyone reached an "overwhelming consensus"

According to the South African important local media "Sowetan", on Saturday local time, South African President Ramaphosa announced at the opening ceremony of the summit that despite the U.S. boycott, the summit declaration still received an "overwhelming consensus".

"There is an overwhelming consensus among all parties, and one of our primary tasks is to pass this summit declaration," he thanked all delegations for "working in good faith with South Africa to jointly produce a much-anticipated G20 outcome document."

"We should not let any factor weaken the value, status, and influence of the G20 summit, which is the first time hosted by Africa."

Ramaphosa further emphasized, "The G20 demonstrates the practical significance and core values of multilateralism, acknowledging the various challenges we face, which can only be solved through cooperation, collaboration, and partnership. The passage of this summit declaration will send an important message to the world: multilateralism can and does work, it will convey messages of hope and solidarity to the world."

He reiterated, "This shows the world that as G20 leaders, we will uphold our solemn commitment - not letting anyone, any community, or any country fall behind."

According to Reuters, of the four core agendas planned by South Africa, three focus on climate change-related issues: addressing climate-induced disasters, providing financing for the transition to clean energy, and ensuring that the boom in key mineral development benefits producing countries. The fourth focuses on establishing a fairer lending system for poor countries.

The "TimesLive" website of South Africa cited a government insider who said that G20 member state negotiators have been negotiating late into the night this week to come up with a final document that can gain the approval of all heads of state.

Another report by the South African media "Daily Maverick" added that the country coordinators responsible for core negotiations have been engaged in intensive negotiations from last Sunday to Thursday, and after working through the night, they finally reached an agreement on the declaration text at 8:30 a.m. local time on Friday. Except for the United States, all G20 member states have agreed to the declaration, which is considered a major achievement for South Africa and the G20.

AFP also confirmed through sources that the draft declaration of the leaders was finalized on Friday.

"This declaration is a positive outcome for South Africa, the G20, and the world," said a Western country's negotiator.

The report showed that the declaration expressed strong support for South Africa's core agenda, but in order to get the consent of countries such as Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and Russia, the parties had to make certain compromises on climate change, the Ukraine situation, and gender issues.

"To be honest, we had hoped the declaration would be more ambitious," admitted this diplomat. "But this also reflects the current reality of the world." Another negotiator added, "These compromises are acceptable." He emphasized, "We have avoided the worst possible outcome that could have occurred during this negotiation."

"The handover ceremony remains low-key, no live broadcast"

Regarding whether the United States would attend, South Africa and the United States have had multiple verbal disputes this month.

The "TimesLive" reported that the United States had sent a letter to the South African government this week, warning that it should not push for the declaration in the absence of the United States, which was seen as a "last-ditch attempt" by the United States to disrupt South Africa's presidency of the G20. South Africa responded firmly, stating that the U.S. had lost the "right to speak" due to its boycott of the summit and would not yield to coercion.

Other information indicates that the United States also tried to pressure its allies to prevent them from agreeing to issue a leaders' declaration, but this move clearly did not win support.

On the evening of Friday local time, French President Macron told reporters that the G20 should not halt its work due to the absence of the United States. He called on all leaders to double their efforts to promote cooperation, saying, "Current geopolitical tensions, frequent climate shocks, and a fragile economic situation all require global collective action."

"We regret the absence of the United States, but the summit will continue... We cannot stand still because of the absence of a single country," he emphasized. Despite political interference, major world economies still have the responsibility to ensure that negotiations proceed as planned.

On the day of the opening of the G20 summit on November 22 local time, South African President Ramaphosa (right) welcomed French President Macron. Visual China

It is worth noting that the transfer of the G20 presidency, as the next host country, has become complicated due to the tense relationship between the United States and South Africa.

White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt said on October 20 at a press briefing that the United States plans to send an acting ambassador to South Africa to attend the handover ceremony at the end of the summit, but will not "participate in official talks."

This proposal was rejected by South Africa. The spokesperson for the South African Presidency, Vincent Magwegwe, clearly responded on social media, "The president will not hand over the presidency to an acting ambassador."

An anonymous source told the "Daily Maverick" that South Africa may transfer the rotating presidency to the United States at some point next week, and the ceremony will be kept low-key, cautious, and not televised.

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that due to the lack of improvement in the tense relations between the United States and South Africa, there is concern that South African diplomats may be excluded from the meeting when the United States takes over the G20 presidency next year.

However, South African Finance Minister Enock Maswabi remained calm. Earlier this week, he told reporters, "We are a G20 member state, not an invited one, so we don't need anyone's invitation. If the United States doesn't want us to participate, the only way they can do is refuse to issue a visa."

Professor Richard Calland from the Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership pointed out that even in the absence of the world's richest countries, South Africa can still achieve its set goals.

"I think careful analysts will not overemphasize the absence of the United States," he said. "Ironically, Trump's absence may create more space for achieving real consensus. Because all parties no longer have to constantly watch out for him, nor do they have to spend time guessing or responding to his style of behavior and position statements."

Calland added that the absence of the United States may encourage middle powers to step forward and promote their own reform agendas through joint declarations.

BBC pointed out that South Africa's initiative for other G20 member states to officially issue a joint declaration will successfully prove that even without the participation of the most influential country in the world, the international community can still reach consensus and advance multilateral cooperation.

This article is an exclusive article by Observer News Network. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

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