Overview
- The summit is set for 22–23 November in Johannesburg, the first G20 held on African soil.
- President Donald Trump confirmed no U.S. officials will attend and Washington has notified sherpas it will oppose any outcome beyond a Chair’s Statement.
- Diplomats now expect a Chair’s Statement instead of a consensus Leaders’ Declaration, which would mark the first G20 summit since 2008 without one.
- China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Argentina’s Javier Milei are also skipping leader-level attendance, with some countries sending ministers or premiers.
- South Africa is advancing a Global South agenda centered on debt relief, climate finance, just energy transitions and inequality, with African participants pressing for debt restructuring, fairer representation and industrial partnerships.