Trump Boycotts G20 Summit, South African President: US Will Lose Its Own

JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump suddenly made the decision to boycott the G20 summit next weekend in South Africa. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Trump's action was actually detrimental to the US. According to him, Washington needs to reconsider whether the politics of boycott is really effective.

"Because according to my experience, boycott politics is ineffective," Ramaphosa said.

Last week, Trump announced on social media that no US government official would attend a November 22-23 meeting attended by leaders from 19 richest and leading developing economies in the world in Johannesburg. Trump cited his widely rejected claims that white minority groups in South Africa were persecuted cruelly and their land was seized because of their race.

The US president has months to criticize the South African government led by black citizens for this and various other issues, including his decision to accuse US ally Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza in an ongoing and highly controversial case at the United Nations Supreme Court (UN).

"It is unfortunate that the United States decided not to attend the G20," Ramaphosa told reporters outside the South African Parliament.

"With the United States not present at the G20, we must not think that we will not continue the G20. The G20 will continue, all other heads of state will be present here. In the end, we will take fundamental decisions and their absence is a loss for them," he continued.

Ramaphosa said the US "released a very important role they should play as the world's largest economy."