Complex global challenges require a G20, not a G2 or G3

President Donald Trump's suggestion that global affairs should be managed through a “G2” comprising the US and China reduces world politics to a bilateral negotiation.

- Busani Ngcaweni

It undermines the principle of interdependence. It revives the belief that history can be shaped by duopoly. It turns the whole world into an American province.

Fortunately, China does not want such a world. Its new global governance initiative is anchored in solidarity. It treats equity as a stabilising force rather than a diplomatic burden. It recognises that pandemics, supply chain fractures and climate shocks cannot be contained by two powers acting alone. The 21st century demands breadth to build a global community with a shared future.

This is why the G20 remains a useful platform. It is imperfect yet viable. It offers something a “G2” cannot. It offers the recognition that legitimacy grows as participation widens, which is why SA has invited other regional structures to be part of the 2025 summit outreach, something it has successfully done when hosting BRICS summits.

The G20 has echoed a commitment to cooperative health governance throughout its history. At the Hamburg summit (2017) leaders declared that they would “continue to strive for resilient health systems” and support countries “in implementing national plans for universal health coverage”.