Starmer arrives in South Africa as G20 summit opens amid U.S. boycott

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Johannesburg on Friday for the opening of the G20 summit, where he was welcomed by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa ahead of a weekend of high-stakes talks. Starmer received an energetic greeting from local performers after landing, marking his first visit to South Africa as prime minister.

But Africa’s first-ever G20 leaders’ summit is already overshadowed by controversy: U.S. President Donald Trump has boycotted the gathering, withdrawing all American participation over his disputed claims that South Africa persecutes its white Afrikaner minority. The decision removes one of the world’s most influential players from the table and threatens to undermine South Africa’s efforts to rally support for issues affecting poorer nations — including climate funding, the soaring cost of the green energy transition, and mounting sovereign debt.

South Africa has rejected Trump’s claims, with Ramaphosa repeatedly stating that allegations of anti-white persecution are “completely false.”

Compounding the absence of the United States, China’s President Xi Jinping is also missing the summit as he scales back international travel — meaning the leaders of the world’s two largest economies will not attend a meeting designed to bridge the divide between developed and developing nations.

Despite the void left by Washington and Beijing, the summit still brings together representatives from 42 countries, including all members of the expanded G20, which now includes both the European Union and African Union. Starmer and Ramaphosa are expected to focus on strengthening U.K.–South Africa ties and driving progress on global economic cooperation as the talks begin.