Alarm is rising over Washington's potential withdrawal from global institutions, including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, with the no-show of U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at G20 meetings adding to anxiety.

The Treasury secretary is the second top U.S. official not to attend the Group of 20 gatherings because of rising tension with South Africa over its land policies.

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.

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.

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.

Alarm is rising over Washington's potential withdrawal from global institutions, including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, with the no-show of U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at G20 meetings adding to anxiety.

By Andrea Shalal, Christian Kraemer, David Lawder MIAMI/BERLIN (Reuters) -U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday he will skip next week's meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of 20 major economies in Cape Town,

The decision has raised eyebrows, as G20 meetings serve as a key forum for discussions among finance ministers and central bank governors from the world’s largest economies. Sources told Reuters that member countries were informed of Bessent’s decision,

Amid diplomatic tensions between host South Africa and the Trump Administration, the U.S. will be represented at a meeting of foreign ministers by the acting ambassador to South Africa.

As relations between South Africa and the United States continue on a free-fall, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will skip the meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors from the Group of 20 major economies scheduled for Cape Town next week.

Japan told its G20 counterparts that free, open and rules-based trade was important to sustain global economic growth, a senior finance ministry official told reporters on the sidelines of a gathering of the group's finance leaders on Wednesday.