The Foreign Ministers of the main economies of the G20 meet in South Africa on Thursday and Friday, In a context of tensions among the members by the Ukraine War, commercial disputes and with the absence of the main American diplomat due to a dispute with the hosts.
G20 countries, which represent about 85% of world GDP and three quarters of trade, often have difficulty agreeing, But geopolitical disagreements from the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 have further fragmented it.
Discord has increased since President Donald Trump assumed the cargor a month ago and implemented rapid changes in Washington’s commercial and foreign policies.
South Africa holds the group’s rotary presidency and for President Cyril Ramaphosa, the first G20 meeting in Africa was an opportunity to get rich nations to pay attention to the worries of the poorest countries: The deterioration of inequality, inadequate action against climate change and a financial system that favors investment banks against poor sovereign debtors.
But the United States will not attend. Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected at the beginning of the month for “very bad” previously agreed agenda of “diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Then, Trump cut American aid to South Africa in an ideological dispute with the efforts of this country to repair the historical racial injustices in land ownership and for his genocide complaint against Israel, an ally of the United States, in the International Court of Justice.
The meeting takes place at a time when Trump has set up the American solidarity policy with Ukraine in his attempt to negotiate peace in his war with Russia. He has blamed President Volodimir Zelenski of the conflict and has set aside the NATO allies to end a Russian isolation campaign.
The absence of the United States is an opportunity for China, the second largest economy in the world, to expand its influence. Beijing’s efforts in this regard are normally focused on the global south, but China has not taken time to try to take advantage of the cracks in the transatlantic alliance.
His Foreign Ministry said Monday that “healthy and stable” relations between China and the EU are more necessary than ever.
