The United States has formally warned South Africa not to issue a joint communiqué at this weekend’s G-20 summit in Johannesburg, which the Trump administration is boycotting, according to a document seen by Bloomberg.
The diplomatic tension comes at an especially sensitive moment: it’s the first time the African continent is hosting the G-20, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is due to hand over the group’s presidency to US President Donald Trump at the end of the year.
Washington’s warning underscores the deepening rift over the summit, though details of the US objections were not immediately clear. The absence of the US delegation has already raised questions about the summit’s ability to deliver unified messaging on global economic and political issues.
South Africa has not publicly responded to the US caution.
