THE G20 summit in South Africa began today with the United States snubbing the host country, whose recent land reform law has offended Donald Trump.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be conspicuous by his absence at a gathering attended by the foreign ministers of China, Russia and the EU.

Mr Rubio denounced the summit’s theme of “solidarity, equality and sustainability” — “in other words DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion, affirmative action policies the US government has declared war on] and climate change” (which Mr Trump calls a “scam.”)

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will seek to get back on the front foot at the summit, having had to postpone the country’s budget this week following disagreements within his coalition, which includes the right-wing Democratic Alliance (DA).

The South African Communist Party said the postponed budget struck a “major blow” at the “new ideological project” of collaboration with the DA, which it said involved adopting neoliberal economic policies “which hurt workers and the poor” and risked undermining the traditional tripartite alliance between it, the African National Congress and the trade union federation Cosatu.