JOHANNESBURG: South Africa and the European Union vowed to defend multilateralism on Thursday, ahead of the G20 summit, as they signed a partnership on critical minerals.
South Africa is hosting this year’s G20 gathering amid a boycott by its most powerful member, although President Cyril Ramaphosa said the United States was now considering attending in some capacity.
Analysts see a US absence or any obstructive move as an opportunity for South Africa to build closer ties to the European Union and China, its two largest trading partners.
While it seems increasingly unlikely that the meeting will culminate in a substantive declaration, the first G20 in Africa is a showcase for a continent that has fast-growing economies and vast mineral wealth.
“We are signing an unprecedented agreement,” Ramaphosa said at a news conference with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa, after Ramaphosa’s mines minister Gwede Mantashe signed the memorandum of understanding. “We are no longer going to rely on extracting minerals only.
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