Ramaphosa and Macron
France’s ambassador to South Africa, David Martinon, declared that Pretoria must be allowed to attend the upcoming G20 summit in the US, despite President Donald Trump’s unilateral decision to bar the African nation. The exclusion violates the G20’s consensus-based framework and follows the US boycott of last year’s summit hosted by Pretoria. Furthermore, Martinon denied allegations that Paris bowed to Washington’s pressure to rescind President Cyril Ramaphosa’s invitation to the upcoming G7 summit in France, attributing South Africa’s absence to a “streamlined” guest list. France’s stance grants it diplomatic influence in Africa, as it becomes only the second G20 member to speak out publicly against the US move. Meanwhile, if the ban stands, it threatens to isolate South Africa, the only African G20 member, from a key economic forum. Most importantly, South Africa’s exclusion risks pushing Pretoria closer to BRICS partners China and Russia, accelerating a fragmentation of Western-led economic governance.
AP