WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will skip next week’s meeting of finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 countries in Cape Town, South Africa, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with his plans.
Tensions between the U.S. and South Africa have risen in recent weeks following complaints from U.S. President Donald Trump over South Africa’s land policy.
Earlier this month, Trump said that “South Africa is confiscating land” and “certain classes of people” were being treated “very badly.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio subsequently canceled a trip to Johannesburg for a meeting a G20 foreign ministers.
South Africa holds the G20 presidency from December 2024 to November 2025.
The U.S. Treasury did not immediately respond to queries about Bessent’s plans for the G20 and the NYT report.
(Reporting by Katharine Jackson; Additional reporting by David Lawder; Writing by Brendan O’Boyle; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Caitlin Webber)
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