The G-20 Leaders' Summit opened Saturday in Johannesburg, South Africa, marking the first time the gathering has been held on the African continent. Yet the historic setting contrasts sharply with the diminished stature of this year’s event, as leaders from several of the world’s most influential nations declined to attend.
Absent from the summit are U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping—an unprecedented no-show from the leaders of the world’s three superpowers. Their collective absence highlights a growing perception that the G-20 is losing relevance amid the rise of competing geopolitical and economic groupings.
Trump skipped the summit citing what he called the South African government’s mistreatment of white South Africans. Putin stayed away due to his International Criminal Court arrest warrant, while Xi, who often avoids summits that Putin does not attend, also chose not to participate—echoing his absence from July’s BRICS summit in Brazil.
While Washington declined to send any representative, Russia dispatched Maxim Oreshkin, a deputy chief of staff, signaling Moscow’s view that the meeting is of limited importance. China sent Premier Li Qiang, indicating Beijing still sees some utility in the gathering, though not enough to warrant the presence of Xi.
Other leaders also stayed away, including Argentina's Javier Milei, who skipped the summit in solidarity with Trump, and Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum. One major participant was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose attendance has fueled speculation that he joined mainly because Trump would not be present. Modi notably avoided last month’s ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, attending virtually, amid reports he sought to avoid a confrontation with the U.S. president.
The broader backdrop is a shifting global order in which alternative blocs such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have taken on an increasingly influential role, particularly among states seeking to break from what they see as Western-dominated global structures. As these organizations grow in prominence, the G-20 appears to be steadily losing the central position it once held in shaping global economic and political priorities.