The G20 countries fought for their own interests and multilateralism at the summit
Despite cancellations by the United States and other countries, participants at the G20 summit in South Africa stressed the importance of the group of countries. Given the difficult global political situation, “it is important to maintain the G20 as a global coordination forum and firmly integrate Africa into it,” said Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) on Sunday after the summit in Johannesburg ended.
“We are not experiencing a transition, but rather a breakthrough,” said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney regarding the G20 format, which brings together developed and developing industrial countries. “Too many countries have retreated into geopolitical blocs or battlegrounds of protectionism.” However, each break resulted in a “responsibility for reconstruction.” Therefore, the head of the Canadian government called for an active approach to the changing world situation: “Nostalgia is not a strategy.” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday that G20 countries may have reached “the end of a cycle”.
The G20 meeting was boycotted by US President Donald Trump, who cited alleged human rights abuses against white South Africans as the reason for his absence. China was represented at the two-day summit by Premier Li Qiang, while Russian President Vladimir Putin was also absent from the meeting.
Instead, Chancellor Merz took part in the meeting, as did Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. To condemn Trump’s absence, summit host Cyril Ramaphosa reiterated that global challenges “can only be addressed through collaboration, cooperation and partnership.”
Various global political problems were discussed at the meeting in Johannesburg. In a declaration adopted on the first day of the summit, summit participants called for “just and lasting” peace in Ukraine as well as in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the occupied Palestinian territories.
They also agreed to protect global supplies of critical minerals and rare earths from geopolitical tensions and “unilateral trade actions.” China dominates the global market for critical raw materials such as rare earths, which are critical to many sectors. In the wake of the trade dispute between the United States and China, in which Beijing openly used its market power as a tool of pressure, this topic has become increasingly important. Ahead of the summit, the European Union and South Africa have agreed on a future cooperation agreement in the extraction and refining of minerals and metals in the resource-rich country.
The G20 group of most important industrial and developing countries consists of 19 countries as well as the European Union and the African Union. Its member countries account for 85 percent of global economic output.
AFP
