G20 Trade Talks End Without Agreement on China-Linked Issues
China said on Sunday that “divergent opinions” fuelled by US tariffs contributed to the failure of G20 trade ministers to reach agreement on overcapacity and forced labour.
The United States holds the rotating presidency of the Group of 20 major economies this year, which also includes China, India, France, Germany and Japan.
Trade ministers held two days of talks in Milwaukee but failed to reach agreements on addressing overcapacity and forced labour, issues that have frequently been raised in criticism of China.
A draft ministerial statement calling for action against excess capacity, which critics say can drive costs down unfairly, was supported by all but a handful of members, according to top US trade official Jamieson Greer.
The draft called on all countries to work towards eliminating structural excess capacity in their economies, among other measures.
China’s Ministry of Commerce said the issues of overcapacity and forced labour had been controversial since they were first raised.
It said G20 members face tariffs related to forced labour and are frequently subject to investigations concerning overcapacity.
China said several members expressed differing views over the US presidency’s decision to raise the issues and push for a joint statement and cooperation mechanisms.
The ministry said the meeting therefore failed to produce an outcome document on the two topics.
China also noted that the post-meeting Chair’s Statement referred to the United States, together with two other G20 nations, issuing a separate statement outside the G20 framework on forced labour. The statement did not identify the countries that opposed the proposal.
A G20 leaders’ summit is scheduled to be held at a golf resort in Miami owned by US President Donald Trump in mid-December.
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