South Africa wants outreach to Africa at G20 summit: President Zuma

CAPE TOWN - South Africa's participation in the G20 summit is to provide a strategic foresight in establishing an economic and international policy platform, President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday.

South Africa wants the summit to drive and negotiate the best possible outcomes for South Africa, Africa and the developing world, Zuma said in a statement before leaving for China to attend the G20 Summit in Hangzhou.

An important part of South Africa's G20 strategy is the outreach to Africa, Zuma added.

As the only permanent African member of the G20, South Africa has used its participation to raise issues of concern to Africa with other G20 members.

In addition, development is an important priority for South Africa in the G20, said the president.

In this regard, South Africa serves as a Co-chair of the G20 Development Working Group.

The summit is to be held in Hangzhou from September 4 to 5 under the theme: "Towards an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy."

Under the umbrella of this overarching theme, China, as the current President of the G20, identified specific priority areas that are aimed at addressing current global economic challenges and are intended to give a focus to the work of the G20 during 2016.

The G20 leaders are expected to discuss these specific priority areas during the Summit, namely: breaking a New Path for Growth, More Effective and Efficient Global Economic and Financial Governance, Robust International Trade and Investment and, Inclusive and Interconnected Development.

South Africa is a member of the G20, which consists of 19 countries plus the European Union (EU). G20 members have been meeting regularly since 1999 to discuss global economic policy coordination. The G20 is conceptualized to stabilize and strengthen the global economy, by bringing together the major advanced and emerging market economies.

Also on Thursday, the Presidency said South Africa's priorities in the G20 for 2016 include strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth, decent employment, efficient and responsive economic infrastructure, increased investment in infrastructure, reducing illicit financial flows through coordination of international tax, coordination of international financial regulatory developments and international coordination on development, which includes domestic resource mobilization (DRM) and ensuring synergy with UN processes on the post-2015 development agenda and financing for development.

Whilst in Hangzhou, Zuma will have a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as well as meet leaders of the BRICS nations, who annually meet on the margins of the G20 summit, presidential spokesperson Bongani Ngqulunga said.

It is also expected that a trilateral meeting between South Africa, Chad (Chair of the African Union) and Senegal (Chair of the New Partnership for Africa's Development, or NEPAD) will take place on the sidelines of the summit. Zuma is also expected to interact with representatives of the Business 20 (B20), according to the spokesperson.

Following the conclusion of the G20 summit, Zuma will travel to Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, where he will attend the "2nd Investing in Africa Forum" on September 7, Ngqulunga said.

Zuma will be accompanied by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, and Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan to the G20 summit and will be joined by Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies and the Deputy Minister of Transport, Sindisiwe Chikunga for the 2nd Investing in Africa Forum after the G20 summit.