TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Leaders of the Group of 20 economies may not release a joint declaration at their annual summit for the first time, a source familiar with the matter said Tuesday, as U.S. President Donald Trump's boycott saps the momentum for producing one.
At the end of a two-day meeting in Johannesburg, this year's chair South Africa may opt to issue a summary document at its own discretion. But the lack of a document agreed on by all G20 members would call into question the relevance of the multilateral forum aimed at confirming economic and financial cooperation.
Trump, who took office in January, has said that neither himself nor any officials representing the world's largest economy will attend the G20 summit in South Africa unless the host country stops its "human rights abuses" against the Afrikaner white minority.
Since its inaugural summit in 2008 at the height of the global financial crisis, the G20 leaders have released their declarations, even under Trump's first four-year presidency from 2017.
Washington played a leading role against the backdrop of its military and economic influence over the years.
The upcoming summit comes at a time when Trump's slapping of tariffs to rectify what he sees as imbalanced trade has made the global economic outlook increasingly uncertain.
Hosting a G20 summit for the first time, South Africa views debt relief measures for developing nations mainly in Africa as one of its priority agendas.
The G20 leaders will likely discuss the recent stock market frenzy over artificial intelligence, Russia's prolonged invasion of Ukraine and the situation in the war-devasted Gaza, the source said.
From Japan, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office last month, will attend the summit and explain the importance of a "free and open Indo-Pacific," according to the source. The vision is widely seen as a counter to China's maritime assertiveness in the region.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang will also take part in the meeting, while Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to join the gathering.
The G20 groups Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey and the United States, plus the European Union and the African Union.