Beijing proposed tariff-free trade to South Africa on the day Pretoria attributed its G7 summit exclusion to US boycott threats—a snub France denies, amid broader tensions including US plans to bar South Africa from the 2026 G20. President Ramaphosa downplayed the G7 withdrawal.
South Africa's presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya confirmed on Thursday that France withdrew President Cyril Ramaphosa's G7 summit invitation in Evian, citing US threats to boycott if South Africa attended. This follows France's recent protest to the US over excluding South Africa from 2026 G20 preparations in Florida, amid frosty bilateral ties.
Ramaphosa downplayed the G7 snub, telling reporters: "The invitation to the G7 does not mean that you're being snubbed if you're not invited or you're being ignored." Pretoria emphasized unchanged relations with France.
France insisted no US pressure influenced the decision, instead inviting Kenya ahead of the Africa-France Summit in Nairobi. On the same day, Beijing offered South Africa tariff-free trade, providing an alternative amid the Western summit tensions.
