JOHANNESBURG: In a striking act of defiance against the United States, G20 envoys agreed on a draft leaders’ declaration in Johannesburg on Friday, forging ahead with the summit’s agenda despite a high-profile boycott by the Trump administration . The move, which the White House immediately labeled “shameful,” underscores a significant diplomatic rift between Washington and the world’s other leading economies.
The G20 nations achieved consensus on the draft without any input from the U.S., which is sitting out the first-ever G20 summit on African soil. President Donald Trump is boycotting the event over his objections to the host nation’s agenda—which focuses on climate change, solidarity, and debt relief for developing countries—and his widely debunked allegations that South Africa’s government persecutes its white minority.
In a direct challenge to Washington’s previous objections, the draft declaration includes references to “climate change,” a topic the U.S. had sought to exclude. A senior Trump administration official sharply rebuked the move, stating, “It is a longstanding G20 tradition to issue only consensus deliverables, and it is shameful that the South African government is now trying to depart from this standard practice despite our repeated objections”.
The agreement follows a tense diplomatic standoff. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had publicly stated he would not be “intimidated” or “coerced” by the U.S. and insisted a declaration would be issued. A last-ditch U.S. offer to send a junior diplomat for the ceremonial handover was rejected by South Africa’s presidency, cementing the American absence from the main proceedings. The G20 leaders will now convene on Saturday and Sunday to finalize the declaration.
