(Johannesburg, 23rd) The 20th G20 Leaders' Summit opened on the 22nd in Johannesburg, South Africa, and on the same day, the "G20 Leaders' Johannesburg Summit Declaration" was adopted.
According to a report by China News Service, by convention, the G20 Leaders' Declaration is usually formally adopted at the conclusion of the summit.
As the rotating presidency, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa cited a quote from an ancient Roman historian at the opening ceremony: "There is always something new out of Africa," "adjusted" the conference agenda, and called on all parties to make passing the summit declaration the first item on the agenda for the day.
On the first day of the Johannesburg summit, the declaration was passed and released with an "overwhelming consensus". The summit declaration contains a total of 122 articles, emphasizes addressing global challenges through multilateral cooperation, and calls for strengthened support for developing countries to promote inclusive growth and sustainable development.
South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola said at a media briefing that the participating parties had reached consensus on the core agenda of the meeting and adopted the Johannesburg Summit Declaration. Lamola described this declaration as "a step toward multilateralism, building a bridge between the Global North and the Global South."
On the eve of the meeting, the US Embassy in South Africa notified the South African government, reiterating that the US would not participate in this summit and opposed issuing any summit outcome documents under the "pretense of G20 consensus" without US consent. The South African government subsequently stated that, due to the US boycott, it had "lost" its right to speak at the summit and that South Africa would not yield to US coercion.
When asked about the handover arrangements for the rotating presidency with the US, Lamola pointed out that since the US did not send representatives of appropriate rank according to diplomatic protocol, South Africa would not hold the rotational presidency handover ceremony at the summit venue. He stressed that, as a G20 member, the US should be represented at the summit by its head of state or a minister-level official.
Lamola stated that South Africa always maintains an open and friendly attitude and is willing to continue cooperation with the US. The handover ceremony will take place after the summit at the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation, or at another suitable location within South Africa upon US request.