JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 20  — The United States’ absence negates its role over the Group of 20 (G20)’s conclusions, Chrispin Phiri, the spokesperson of South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, has said, reiterating that Pretoria would not be bullied.

Phiri made the remarks on Wednesday in response to Washington’s decision not to attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, as well as its objection to the issuance of any outcome document presented as a G20 consensus without U.S. consent.

Earlier, South African G20 Sous-Sherpa Xolisa Mabhongo confirmed receiving a letter from the United States, in which Washington said it would only accept a “chair’s statement” reflecting a lack of consensus.

“We cannot allow coercion by absentia to become a viable tactic,” Phiri said. “It is a recipe for institutional paralysis and the breakdown of collective action.”

South Africa assumed the rotating G20 presidency on Dec. 1, 2024, becoming the first African country to hold the position. The United States is scheduled to take over the presidency on Dec. 1.

Tensions between Pretoria and Washington flared up shortly after President Donald Trump returned to the White House in late January.

He signed an executive order to freeze U.S. aid to South Africa in February, accusing the Expropriation Act, a land reform law South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed in January, of “discriminating” against the country’s white people.

The South African government rejected the accusations as lacking “factual accuracy and fails to recognize South Africa’s profound and painful history of colonialism and apartheid.”

In February, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on social media that he would boycott the G20 summit in Johannesburg because of “bad things” happening in the country.

In March, Washington expelled then South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, further straining the bilateral relations. The expulsion followed an earlier address by the South African ambassador, in which he criticized Trump.

In May, Trump confronted visiting South African President Ramaphosa at the White House with conspiracy theories on “white genocide” in South Africa, which Ramaphosa firmly denied.

Ramaphosa, who was in Washington seeking to improve trade terms and ease bilateral tensions, rejected Trump’s assertions during their meeting.

The South African president refuted the notion that white South Africans are fleeing the country due to racist policies, saying the majority of crime victims in his country are Black. (Xinhua)

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 20  — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has received a Group of 20 (G20) expert panel report that proposes solutions to some of the continent’s most pressing economic challenges, especially the rising debt burden.

The Report of the Africa Expert Panel was submitted to the president during a handover ceremony on Tuesday in Johannesburg.

Speaking at the event, Ramaphosa said the release of the report marks a “key milestone” of South Africa‘s G20 presidency, adding that it reinforces the message that “the greatest opportunity for global prosperity in the 21st century lies in Africa.”

He noted that unlocking this potential requires a new partnership among African countries, the G20, and global institutions to mobilize financing for infrastructure and human development.

“If we do not address the debt burden facing many African countries, we risk a lost decade for development in Africa and other regions of the world,” he cautioned.

“That is why South Africa has made debt sustainability a high-level priority of our G20 presidency.” Ramaphosa highlighted the report’s findings on Africa‘s disproportionately high cost of capital, which he said continues to raise borrowing costs and limit investment.

The report calls for expanded concessional finance, enhanced transparency and accountability from credit rating agencies, and reforms to counter biased perceptions of African risk.

The Africa Expert Panel was established by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, in line with South Africa‘s mandate as G20 president to advance Africa‘s developmental priorities.

Chaired by former finance minister Trevor Manuel, the 26-member panel, including 20 African experts, was mandated to produce evidence-based policy recommendations that strengthen Africa‘s voice within the G20 Finance Track.

The report outlines a series of proposals to tackle Africa‘s debt constraints and accelerate investment, including a new G20 debt refinancing initiative, steps toward a more transparent and effective sovereign debt resolution mechanism, stronger debt data systems, and improved debt sustainability analysis.

It also calls for measures to stimulate long-term investment, such as advancing the African Continental Free Trade Area implementation, developing national and regional investment frameworks, and tightening the regulation and disclosure requirements of credit rating agencies.

“Together, the actions they propose can create an investment boom in Africa,” Ramaphosa concluded. “South Africa will take these proposals forward not only in the G20 but in other international fora, working closely with the African Union and other partners.” (Xinhua)

CAIRO, Nov. 19 — Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a phone conversation on Tuesday, during which they emphasized the urgent need to build upon the recent UN Security Council resolution concerning the Gaza Strip.

The leaders stressed that this follow-up is essential to solidify the existing ceasefire and achieve further de-escalation in Gaza, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.

On Monday, the UN Security Council adopted a U.S.-drafted resolution endorsing the creation of an international stabilization force (ISF) in Gaza.

The resolution authorizes UN member states and the Board of Peace, a transitional administration in Gaza that will coordinate reconstruction efforts, to establish a temporary ISF in Gaza to carry out its mandate consistent with international law.

Countries will contribute personnel to the force “in close consultation and cooperation” with Egypt and Israel. In their talks, Sisi and Starmer underscored the significance of building upon the Sharm El-Sheikh summit, held in Egypt in October, to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid and the swift beginning of the reconstruction process.

For his part, Starmer reiterated the need to deliver sufficient quantities of humanitarian aid to the people of the Gaza Strip and to take all necessary measures in this regard, including encouraging more international humanitarian relief organizations to work toward achieving this goal.

Meanwhile, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said on Tuesday that the recent UN Security Council resolution on the Gaza Strip represents the “beginning of the road, not its end.”

In a statement, Aboul-Gheit emphasized that substantial work across all levels is required in the immediate future to translate the resolution’s provisions into tangible actions that will positively impact the lives of the Palestinian people.

The Arab League chief also highlighted the resolution’s fundamental reference to a reliable path that leads directly to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. (Xinhua)