The United States has formally warned South Africa not to push for the issuance of a joint statement at this weekend’s Group of 20 (G-20) summit in Johannesburg, which the Trump administration is boycotting, according to a document seen by Bloomberg.
The diplomatic impasse is particularly awkward as it is the first time the African continent has hosted a G-20, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will pass the baton to US President Donald Trump later this year.
Tensions between the two leaders came to a head at an Oval Office meeting in May, when Ramaphosa had to endure an on-camera rebuke. Trump intensified the dispute by announcing that he would not participate in the summit and followed up with a complete boycott of the event.
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The US openly opposes South Africa’s presidency of the G-20 and its core agenda of solidarity, equality and sustainability — part of Ramaphosa’s push for a more inclusive world order. This adds to Trump’s false accusations that Pretoria is committing genocide against white Afrikaners and expropriating land.
“Washington’s absence negates its role in the G20 conclusions,” South African Foreign Ministry spokesman Chrispin Phiri said by phone on Wednesday. “We cannot allow coercion by absence to become a viable tactic. It is a recipe for institutional paralysis and the collapse of collective action.”
In the diplomatic communication delivered on November 15, the US stated that it would not participate in the preparatory negotiations before the summit, nor in the meeting of world leaders this weekend. They will block any outcome presented as a consensus G-20 position because South Africa’s priorities “contradict US political views,” according to a copy of the document.
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“The US opposes the issuance of any G-20 summit outcome document under the premise of a consensus G-20 position, without US agreement,” it said. “If a result is issued under his presidency, it will be presented solely as a statement by the president to accurately reflect the absence of consensus.”
The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to messages left for comment before U.S. business hours.
Despite US opposition, South Africa remains committed to reaching a joint declaration at the summit that ends on Sunday.
Securing a declaration is a priority for South Africa. The country has sought to expand the agenda promoted by recent G-20 presidents from the so-called Global South — Indonesia, India and Brazil. The US assumes the presidency of the G20 in December.
“Brazil’s position is that we must have a declaration, so we are discussing this with the countries that are here,” Ambassador Philip Gough, secretary of economic and financial affairs at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters on Wednesday. “The position of the South African presidency is that there must be a declaration, and Brazil’s position is to strongly support its existence.”
A European G-20 official said his country would support both a joint statement and a smaller summary from the president. The official is involved in the ongoing preparatory negotiations and asked not to be identified as they are private.
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Germany’s government said it “fully supports” South Africa’s presidency of the G-20 in a statement on Monday.
Most countries have chief negotiators, known as sherpas, involved in the negotiations taking place in South Africa this week. Around 15 heads of state are expected in Johannesburg this weekend, including those from Brazil, India and Türkiye. Several European presidents or prime ministers are also expected to attend, as is Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will not participate and will send Premier Li Qiang in his place.
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Points of disagreement in the negotiations include wording on gender and climate issues, according to people familiar with the discussions. Argentina, a close U.S. ally, has resisted references to both climate finance and global climate agreements, the sources said.
Amid growing tensions between Pretoria and Washington, the Trump administration imposed 30% tariffs on South African exports — the highest on the continent — further souring relations between the two countries.
South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola told the Bloomberg Africa Business Summit on Tuesday that Pretoria has repeatedly sought to repair the relationship.
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“We have always been open — the aggression is on the US side,” he said.
© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.
