G20 Opens in Johannesburg With U.S. Boycott as Draft Focuses on Critical Minerals

Overview

• The two‑day summit begins in Johannesburg on Nov. 22–23, the first G20 leaders’ meeting hosted on the African continent.
• The White House confirmed the United States will not participate and formally asked South Africa not to issue a joint statement without U.S. agreement.
• A circulated draft declaration prioritizes resilience of critical‑minerals supply chains and cautions against unilateral trade restrictions incompatible with WTO rules.
• China is represented by Premier Li Qiang rather than Xi Jinping, with additional absences from Russia, Argentina and Mexico, while European Union leaders attend.
• Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrived, met Cyril Ramaphosa and opened by urging debt‑for‑climate swaps, taxing the ultra‑rich and reforming global financial governance.