South Africa asks China to postpone naval exercises that coincide with possible Trump trip for G20
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$1 per week for 24 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $4.00 plus GST every four weeks. After 24 weeks, price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
Monthly Digital Subscription
$4.75/week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Winnipeg Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*$1 will be added to your next bill. After your 4 weeks access is complete your rate will increase by $0.00 a X percent off the regular rate.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa’s Department of Defense said Thursday it has asked China to postpone naval exercises that would have brought Chinese and Russian warships to South African waters around the time the country hosts a Group of 20 summit.
U.S. President Donald Trump has been invited to attend the summit in Johannesburg on Nov. 22 and Nov. 23, although it’s unclear if he will attend following his criticism of South Africa as a country he has “a lot of problems with.”
South Africa holds joint naval exercises with China and Russia — its partners in the BRICS bloc — every two years and the exercises scheduled for late November were part of that agreement. China is the lead nation of this year’s exercises to be held in South African waters.
The Department of Defense said in a statement its request to China to postpone the naval exercises was to ensure they “do not impact on the logistical, security and other arrangements associated with South Africa’s G20 Presidency.”
There was no indication if China had agreed to the request.
China’s President Xi Jinping is due to attend the G20 summit alongside leaders from France, Germany, the U.K. and others. Russian President Vladimir Putin likely won’t attend because of an International Criminal Court warrant for his arrest in connection with the war in Ukraine that South Africa would be expected to execute because it is a signatory to the court’s statutes.
China showcased its military might in a huge parade in Beijing on Wednesday marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Putin attended that parade alongside Xi.
South Africa’s previous naval exercises with China and Russia have strained its relations with Western nations, including the U.S. It hosted Chinese and Russian warships in early 2023.
If Trump attends the G20, it would put him at the same summit as Chinese leader Xi.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said after a tense meeting with Trump at the White House in May that the U.S. president would attend the G20 summit. But Trump said in July that he was considering skipping it, accusing South Africa’s Black-led government of adopting anti-white policies at home and an anti-American foreign policy stance.
“I think maybe I’ll send somebody else because I’ve had a lot of problems with South Africa. They have some very bad policies,” Trump said.
South Africa has denied Trump’s characterization of it as anti-white and anti-American. It will hand the rotating presidency of the G20 to the U.S. at the end of this year.
___
AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa