U.S. to skip G20 summit in South Africa

LOS ANGELES, May 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that President Donald Trump will not participate in the upcoming meeting of the Group of 20 (G20) leaders in South Africa later this year.

"We decided not to participate in this year's G20 hosted by South Africa, either at the level of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or at the level of the president, and this was largely due to some of these issues that they put on their agenda and which, as we think, they do not reflect the priorities of this administration," Rubio told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.

Relations between South Africa and the United States worsened after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Act into law in January. In March, the United States expelled then South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, further straining their relations.

Ramaphosa is currently visiting the United States, and is scheduled to meet with Trump on issues concerning trade and bilateral ties.