CAPE TOWN: The erosion of multilateralism threatens global growth and stability, President Cyril Ramaphosa warned Wednesday at a G20 finance meeting in South Africa marked by the absence of the US treasury secretary.
Two days of talks by finance ministers and central bank governors from the world’s leading economies opened a week after a meeting of G20 foreign ministers was snubbed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who complained of its “anti-Americanism”.
“The erosion of multilateralism presents a threat to global growth and stability,” Ramaphosa said in his opening address.
“At this time of heightened geopolitical contestation, a rules-based order is particularly important as a mechanism for managing disputes and resolving conflict,” he said.
The G20, a grouping of 19 countries as well as the European Union and the African Union, is divided on key issues, from Russia’s war in Ukraine to climate change, with world leaders scrambling to respond to drastic policy shifts from Washington since the return of US President Donald Trump.
“Multilateral cooperation is our only hope of overcoming unprecedented challenges, including slow and uneven growth, rising debt burdens, persistent poverty and inequality, and the existential threat of climate change,” Ramaphosa said.
South Africa holds the rotating G20 presidency this year and has chosen the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on February 20 he would not attend the Cape Town meeting because he was too busy.
Just days before, Rubio had accused the G20 hosts of choosing an “anti-American” theme. It followed criticism from Trump about land reforms in South Africa aimed at redressing inequalities perpetrated during the apartheid era.
The United States was represented at the Cape Town meeting by Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell.
The Group of 20 brings together the world’s largest economies, which together represent around 85 percent of global GDP, to discuss international economic and financial stability.
While some countries chose not to send their finance ministers, those of Britain, Switzerland and France were present as was European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde.
Britain’s finance minister Rachel Reeves would stress at the talks that bolstering defence spending was necessary for economic growth, the UK Treasury said in a statement.
“It’s clear we are facing a more dangerous world,” Reeves was quoted as saying. “National security will always be the first responsibility of this government and is the bedrock of economic growth.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged Tuesday to boost defence spending to 2.5 percent of the economy by 2027, as uncertainty reigns over Trump’s commitment to European security while he pursues talks with Russia over its war in Ukraine.
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