G20 Summit 2023: South Africa bats for UNSC reform, seeks more trade with India in digital, auto sectors

Terming the inclusion of the African Union in G20 as a step in the right direction to further reforms in various multilateral institutions, spokesperson to the President of Republic of South Africa Vincent Magwenya said that his country has strongly advocated for reform of the United Nations Security Council, for global financial institutions and for the manner in which development is funded.

Responding to a question on the possible impact of the absence of heads of state of China & Russia, he pointed out that the G20 countries had also managed to reach a consensus in Bali last year, adding that he is reasonably confident that a consensus will be reached by the end with respect to the summit declaration.

Aiming at cooperation with regard to security, he told CNBC-TV18 that several parts of Africa are still affected by conflicts even as his country is "quite involved in ensuring those conflicts are resolved speedily" so that the continent can focus on development.

Commenting on the issues being taken up for discussion at the Leaders' summit, he said that South Africa is looking to ensure energy security and forming bilateral and multilateral partnerships to realize significant progress on several issues which are already on the table. Stating that his country is looking for greater cooperation with respect to mitigating the impact of climate change, he expressed hope for a growing bilateral relationship between India and South Africa.

Terming bilateral cooperation between both the countries as a growing relationship, he said that South Africa wants to increase cooperation with India in the digital, space and automotive sectors, while adding to the existing economic cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector.