South African Trade Minister Parks Tau said on Sunday that he expects negotiations with the United States on a trade agreement to continue, despite disagreements between the two countries over the G20 summit in Johannesburg, which Washington boycotted.
The G20 summit in South Africa on Saturday adopted a declaration addressing the climate crisis and other global challenges, drafted without the participation of the United States, a move described by a White House official as "shameful."
A spokesman for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the declaration, which included language opposed by Washington, "cannot be renegotiated," indicating tension between Pretoria and the administration of US President Donald Trump over the summit, according to Reuters.
The inclusion of climate change in the declaration was seen as a snub to Trump, who questions the overwhelming scientific consensus that global warming is caused by human activity, and U.S. officials had expressed their opposition to any reference to it in the declaration.
In his opening remarks at the summit, Ramaphosa said, "There was an overwhelming consensus and agreement that another task we had to undertake from the outset was to adopt our declaration."
Trump said U.S. officials would not attend the summit because of unsubstantiated allegations that the host country's government persecutes its white minority.
The U.S. president also rejected the host country's agenda of promoting solidarity, helping developing countries adapt to climate disasters, transitioning to clean energy, and reducing their excessive debt burden.
South Africa's efforts to reach a trade agreement with the United States have been complicated by issues including Trump's unsubstantiated accusations of persecution against the white minority in the African nation. Trump imposed a 30% tariff on South African imports in August, potentially leading to the loss of tens of thousands of jobs at a time when Africa's largest economy is experiencing little growth.
