US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced his decision to skip the G20 summit in Johannesburg, citing concerns over South Africa's land expropriation policies. In a post on the platform X, Rubio stated, "I will NOT be attending the G20 Summit in Johannesburg. South Africa is doing very bad things. Expropriation of private property."
The G20 foreign ministers are scheduled to meet on February 20th and 21st. Rubio's absence would have marked his first opportunity to meet with several foreign ministers, including Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. South Africa holds the G20 presidency this year.
South Africa has passed a law allowing for the expropriation of land in the public interest to address historical injustices stemming from the apartheid era (1948-1994). US President Donald Trump has threatened to halt all financial aid to South Africa in response to these policies.
Elon Musk, a tech billionaire and close confidant of Trump, is a South African citizen who grew up during the apartheid era. South Africa's Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola has stated that there is no arbitrary expropriation of land or private property.
"Our G20 presidency is not just about climate change. It's also about the fair treatment of Global South countries to ensure an equitable global system for all. These are important principles that we will continue to pursue and discuss with the United States," Lamola said.