CAPE TOWN, South Africa >> Finance ministers and central bank chiefs from the Group of 20 developed and developing nations gathered in South Africa on Wednesday for a two-day meeting marked by the absence of U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and several other high-profile figures.

Bessent’s absence follows a boycott of a G20 foreign ministers meeting in South Africa last week by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the Trump administration has been openly critical of the country and its G20 themes. Bessent said he couldn’t attend because of commitments in Washington.

South Africa holds the rotating presidency of the G20 this year — the first African nation to do so — and has pledged to put issues that especially affect poor countries like debt relief and climate change at the top of the agenda.

The G20 is made up of some of the world’s major economies, the European Union and African Union. It represents more than two-thirds of the world’s population and approximately 80% of global GDP.

The finance ministers of China, Japan, India and Canada also weren’t expected to attend the meeting.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told delegates in Cape Town that his country’s G20 priorities are strengthening resilience to climate-related disasters, addressing the debt burdens of poor nations, mobilizing finance for countries to transition to green energy and using critical minerals for the benefit of some of the developing countries where they are found.