Washington DC, Dec. 18 -- Ahead of hosting the G20 Summit in Miami, Florida, next year, the United States convened its first G20 Sherpa meeting as the 2026 Presidency host in Washington, notably without participation from South Africa, the outgoing 2025 chair, amid a sharp recalibration of the forum under US President Donald Trump.

According to a release on Thursday, the US Department of State said that the meeting took place from December 15 to December 16 and was attended by representatives from the African Union, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and the United Kingdom.

It also noted that Polan...