France Excludes South Africa from G7 Summit

France has excluded South Africa from its upcoming G7 summit scheduled for June in Évian-les-Bains, a decision that comes amid geopolitical tensions and reported pressure from the United States. According to multiple reports, France initially invited South African President Cyril Ramaphosa but later withdrew the invitation due to sustained pressure from the US.

A South African official confirmed that the French embassy informed Pretoria of the withdrawal weeks ago. The US had threatened to boycott the summit if South Africa was included, as reported by BBC and TimesLIVE. However, France denied yielding to any US pressure, stating that it had decided to invite Kenya instead to help prepare for an upcoming Africa-France summit in Nairobi.

President Ramaphosa downplayed the exclusion, noting that non-G7 members are not always invited to such summits. He stated that South Africa had not attended every G7 summit in the past and that its absence this time should come as no surprise. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told AFP that the decision was part of efforts to streamline the G7 and correct global economic imbalances.

Local business leaders in South Africa advised caution, suggesting that playing tit-for-tat with the US will not work for South Africa. Kganki Matabane, CEO of the Black Business Council (BBC), recommended a waiting game until the end of President Donald Trump's term in 2028, hoping for a less hostile administration.

The exclusion follows a series of diplomatic tensions between South Africa and the US. The Trump administration has imposed high tariffs on South African exports and excluded Pretoria from G20 meetings this year.