U.S Secretary of States announce boycotting the G20 Summit dubbing it as “Anti-American”.
(The Post News) – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he would not attend the forthcoming G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in South Africa, citing concerns over what he called an “anti-American” agenda by the host nation.
In a post on the social media platform X, Rubio made clear he would not be part of discussions in Johannesburg scheduled for February 20-21.
Rubio’s decision comes just a week after US President Donald Trump criticized South Africa’s land reform policies of “confiscating” private property to try to redress inequalities from the apartheid era. “South Africa is doing very bad things. Expropriating private property. Using G20 to promote ‘solidarity, equality, & sustainability, ” Rubio wrote. “In other words: DEI and climate change.”
Rubio’s comments reflect the Trump administration’s broader hostility toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, as well as climate change policies, both of which have been key themes of South Africa’s G20 presidency.”
My job is to advance America’s national interests, not to waste taxpayer dollars or to coddle anti-Americanism,” he continued. The rotating presidency of the G20 currently belongs to South Africa-the first African nation ever to lead it. It has made the promotion of climate justice, economic equality, and the solidarity of nations of the Global South its portfolio, which lately has been drawing it more in conflict with Washington.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this week rejected Trump’s “confiscation” allegations, saying he was ready to explain his government’s land reform policies directly to the US leader.
Land ownership is a very sensitive issue in South Africa. Three decades since the fall of apartheid, most farmland remains in white hands, and pressure for reforms continues to grow. In recent weeks, Ramaphosa’s government legislated to allow expropriation of land without compensation where “just and equitable”.
Trump and his associates, including Elon Musk-who was born in South Africa-have attacked the policy, with Musk writing on X that the country has “openly racist ownership laws.”
Trump escalated the dispute Monday by threatening to block all future funding to South Africa pending a “full investigation” of the land reform issue.
The Rubio boycott could have massive geopolitical implications, as it means the US will be absent from high-stakes discussions among the world’s leading economies. The Johannesburg meeting had been expected to offer Rubio’s first chance to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov amid ongoing US efforts to pressure Moscow over the Ukraine war.
This comes at a time when China is scaling up its influence in Africa, reinforcing ties in trade and diplomacy.
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