Bangladesh, May 21 -- In a significant move that underscores deepening diplomatic rifts between Washington and Pretoria, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on May 20 that the United States will boycott the upcoming G20 events hosted by South Africa. The declaration, made during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, marks an intensification of the geopolitical standoff between the two countries, which have increasingly found themselves at odds over a range of global issues.

Rubios remarks come at a particularly delicate moment, as South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is in Washington to engage with President Donald Trumps administration in an attempt to “reset and revitalize bilateral relations,” according ...