Germany Rebukes Trump's Plan to Ban South Africa from G20 Summit

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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Thursday criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would exclude South Africa from the next G20 summit in Miami, saying it would be “in no one’s interest.”

Speaking to students at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, Wadephul described South Africa as “an indispensable member of the G20,” whose importance had been underlined by last year’s G20 summit in that same city.

“To exclude South Africa means sidelining an important African voice and a regional economic and political powerhouse,” the minister said, adding: “Particularly at a time of growing global economic uncertainty, we need more cooperation, not less.”

The U.S. president announced in a social media post last November that South Africa would not be invited to the next G20 meeting.

During his speech, Wadephul also emphasized his interest in fostering closer relations with South Africa, despite disagreements on key geopolitical questions like Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Gaza conflict or China. As a BRICS member, South Africa holds traditionally close relations to Moscow and Beijing.

“In some disputed matters we can agree to disagree”, he said. “And at the same time keep on working together. What matters is that we are committed to the same international principles.”

Wadephul also argued that Russia “continues to pose an existential security threat to us,” which was made evident by Russia’s Iskander ballistic missiles in Kaliningrad, which “would take only a matter of minutes to reach Berlin.”

On China, he said that both countries should work more closely together as they were both “too dependent on supply chains coming from one country. We’re too dependent on one country as being the most important market.”