G20 leaders meet in South Africa seeking agreement, despite US boycott

• US boycotts summit over alleged persecution of white South Africans
• Climate change a contentious issue in summit discussions

JOHANNESBURG : Leaders of the Group of 20 top economies gathered for a US-boycotted summit in South Africa on Saturday, seeking a deal on a draft declaration drawn up without US input in a surprise move that a senior White House official described as “shameful.”

G20 envoys have agreed on a draft leaders’ declaration ahead of the weekend summit in Johannesburg, in which several of the top agenda items are about climate change. The draft was drawn up without seeking US consensus, four sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.

One of those sources confirmed late on Friday that the draft made references to climate change, despite objections from the administration of US President Donald Trump, who doubts the scientific consensus that warming is caused by human activities.

Trump has indicated that it will boycott the summit because of allegations, widely discredited, that the host country’s Black majority government persecutes its white minority.

The US president has also rejected the host nation’s agenda of promoting solidarity and helping developing nations adapt to weather disasters, transition to clean energy and cut their excessive debt costs.

The boycott had put a dampener on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s plans to trumpet South Africa’s role in promoting multilateral diplomacy, but some analysts suggested it might benefit it, if other members embrace the summit’s agenda and make headway on a substantive declaration. It was not clear what concessions had to be made on the language to get everyone to agree. The United States had objected to any mention of climate or renewable energy in the discussion, and some other members are often reticent about it.

Three out of four of South Africa’s planned top agenda items — preparing for climate-induced weather disasters, financing the transition to green energy, and ensuring the rush for critical minerals benefits producers — are largely about climate change. The fourth is about a more equitable system of borrowing for poor countries.

The United States will host the G20 in 2026 and Ramaphosa said he would have to hand over the rotating presidency to an “empty chair.” The South African presidency has rejected the White House’s offer to send the US charge d’affaires for the G20 handover.