World leaders are gathering in Johannesburg, South Africa’s economic capital, this weekend for the annual Group of 20 (G20) leaders’ summit – the first ever to be held in an African country amid a boycott by the United States over widely discredited claims that the host country mistreats white people.

About 42 countries and institutions will be represented at the meeting that starts on Saturday, but the US under President Donald Trump — who has condemned South Africa’s position as host — will be conspicuously absent.

Washington, a founding member of the group, is next in line to take over the rotating presidency from Pretoria, and South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised to symbolically hand over to an empty chair if necessary.

On Thursday, Ramaphosa said the US had rea

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