A South African scholar has criticized U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statement of excluding South Africa from the next G20, calling the move an attempt to undermine the country's diplomatic independence.
In a Substack post on Wednesday, Rubio criticized South Africa's domestic policies and its stewardship of the G20. He claimed that as a result, the U.S. would not invite South Africa to attend the G20 summit during its presidency.
In response, Ronald Lamola, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, issued an open letter to Rubio on Thursday, emphasizing that South Africa is a founding member of the G20 and no single member of the G20 has a unilateral right to exclude South Africa from the G20.
Reaffirming South Africa's role in the G20, Lamola said that South Africa's presidency emphasized the equal partnership with Africa and the Global South, as well as the need to address systemic macroeconomic challenges affecting developing economies.
It is a matter of public record that the United States chose not to attend the G20 meetings. Given that absence, the notion of South Africa's "sabotaging" consensus is not just incorrect, it misunderstands the very purpose of a forum like the G20, said the minister.
Christopher Isike, a professor at the University of Pretoria, supported Lamola's stance, arguing that Rubio's statement reflects the long-standing hegemonic logic and domineering practice of the U.S.
"I agree with the position taken by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Mr. Ronald Lamola. Of course, It (the U.S.) wants to try to limit South Africa and prevent it from being autonomous in terms of its foreign policy, being able to take decisions in its best interest," said Isike.
Scholar rebukes U.S. state secretary's statement of excluding S Africa from next G20
Officials and business leaders from both China and the United States gathered in Berkeley, California on Friday to discuss the future of trade and investment between China and the San Francisco Bay Area, with many hoping to overcome the recent strain brought by the Trump administration's tariffs.
The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade hosted a business breakfast exchange meeting on Friday morning, with the council's chairman Ren Hongbin sending out a clear message of the vast economic potential which is there to be tapped into.
"The Chinese economy is very much innovation driven. And the strategic emerging industries, such as new energy, new materials, low carbon, aerospace, bio-pharmacy and the low-altitude economy, will generate a trillion-yuan level or even larger markets. So, I think that will provide enormous opportunities and room for China and U.S. companies to cooperate," said Ren.
He further stressed the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing as an example of an event where San Francisco Bay Area companies like NVIDIA and Apple were active participants and direct beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, Chinese Consul General in San Francisco Zhang Jianmin said that against the backdrop of a global economic slowdown, greater cooperation in the innovation sector is now more important than ever.
"The [San Francisco] Bay Area is home to many of the world's top tech companies and offers a sound innovation ecosystem. China has a super big market, rich application scenarios and a complete industrial supporting system. There exists tremendous potential for both sides to have more mutually beneficial cooperation by tapping into their complementary strengths," said Zhang.
Attendees did voice concerns over how the Trump administration's tariffs are impacting business.
With China accounting for nearly 30 percent of the Port of Oakland's total trade volume, the port's executive director Kristi McKenney stressed the need for greater stability and certainty.
"The tariffs in many cases were never actually implemented or were changed before they were implemented. So those linkages are a bit more challenging. I think the bigger issue will be certainty in the economy. And if there's lack of certainty, if we see economic difficulty, then you're going to see job losses," said McKenney.
Oakland's Mayor Barbara Lee said that it is very much business as usual, despite the recent difficulties.
"While we understand the challenges of tariffs, the exports and imports are still continuing, and our port is still a large containerized port doing business with China. And we're going to strengthen that relationship. We may have our differences on issues, on policies, but we here in Oakland understand that we're a global city and we believe the trade brings friendships, brings understanding, and also brings economic benefits to both countries," she said.
Chinese, US officials, business leaders meet in California to deepen mutual understanding
