Atlanta:Beijing China has expressed its support for South Africa to continue participating in G20 meetings as the United States prepares to host top diplomats from the world's 20 largest economies.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun highlighted the importance of the G20 in fostering multilateralism, promoting global economic growth, and enhancing global governance. He emphasized that South Africa is a significant member of the G20 and affirmed China's backing for its ongoing involvement in G20-related activities.

This statement from China comes amid reports of South Africa's exclusion from the G20 foreign ministers' meeting, which is set to begin in Atlanta, Georgia. Previously, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had also expressed support for South Africa's participation in the meeting.

In November 2025, US President Donald Trump announced that South Africa would not be invited to the G20 summit scheduled for November 2026 in Miami, Florida. Trump had also skipped the G20 leaders' summit hosted by South Africa in Johannesburg in 2025.

South Africa's ambassador to the US, Roelf Meyer, stated on Monday that the South African government is no longer concerned about the lack of an invitation to the Miami summit. Instead, South Africa is already in discussions with the UK, the host for next year's G20. Despite this, Meyer confirmed that South Africa plans to attend the B20 summit in Washington, DC, next month.