U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday that he would boycott this month's G-20 talks in South Africa, accusing the host government of "anti-American" stance.
Rubio's announcement comes days after U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at South Africa over land reforms aimed at redressing inequalities perpetrated during the apartheid era.
In a post on X that took on the tone of Trump, Rubio said he would boycott the G-20 talks of foreign ministers in Johannesburg on Feb. 20-21.
"South Africa is doing very bad things and expropriating private property. Using G-20 to promote 'solidarity, equality, & sustainability,'" Rubio wrote in his post. "In other words: DEI and climate change."
DEI, or diversity, equity and inclusion, has been attacked relentlessly by Trump since he returned to the White House last month.
"My job is to advance America's national interests, not waste taxpayer money or coddle anti-Americanism."
South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola on Thursday rejected Rubio's claims, saying in a statement that "there is no arbitrary dispossession of land/private property" with the new land reform law.
"This law is similar to the Eminent domain laws," he said, referring to longtime U.S. laws allowing the federal government to acquire property for public use. Lamola added that South Africa is "a sovereign and democratic country committed to human dignity, equality and rights."
"Our G-20 presidency is not confined to just climate change but also equitable treatment for nations of the Global South, ensuring equal global system for all," he added.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had dismissed Trump's assertions earlier this week that South Africa was "confiscating" land and said he was ready to explain his government's land reform policy to his U.S. counterpart.
On Tuesday, Ramaphosa raised concerns about "disinformation" being spread by the U.S. president with top Trump ally Elon Musk, born in South Africa and the world's richest man.
Land ownership is a contentious issue in South Africa, with most farmland still owned by white people three decades after the end of apartheid. The government is under pressure to implement reforms.
The absence of the U.S., the world's largest economy, would mark a major blow to the G-20, which is meant to represent the world's largest economy.
The meeting could have offered Rubio the first opportunity to meet his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as Trump pushed for diplomacy in the Ukraine war.
