Bessent Blames China For Derailing G20 Joint Communique

The Group of 20 finance meetings in Asheville, North Carolina, concluded on Tuesday after four days of discussions among finance ministers and central bank chiefs on global trade. The news late Tuesday was that China had derailed the group's efforts to issue a joint communiqué by refusing to endorse specific language targeting trade surpluses and export-dependent economic models.

"The country with the world's largest and unsustainable current account surplus, the People's Republic of China, was the dissenter," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters.

Bessent added, "Non-market-based economies pushing out a never-ending spring of cheap exports is not sustainable."

US and European officials told the Financial Times that Beijing objected to language intended to support the smooth functioning of global supply chains for energy, food, fertilizer and critical minerals.

Asked why China had opposed the language agreed upon by the group, a senior US official explained: "They are guilty. If we are worried about persistent distortions, they are the worst offenders. For the G20 to have something at 19-1 is unbelievable."

The dispute over the communiqué, an official joint statement agreed to by all G20 members after a meeting that typically summarizes areas of agreement, economic concerns, policy commitments or priorities, and areas requiring further cooperation, offers another glimpse into the widening economic fracture between Beijing and the West. China's staggering $1.2 trillion trade surplus in 2025 was up 20% from the previous year, as its heavily subsidized exports flood the West, such as cheap EVs produced by BYD Motors.

What the breakdown suggests is that Beijing remains unwilling to rebalance an economic model built around industrial overcapacity, state-directed financing, weak household consumption and relentless exports. For the US and Europe, the concern is becoming a national security priority as industrial bases are hollowed out while governments attempt to rebuild domestic supply chains. 

"It came down to a few words. As we have seen with the Chinese, they try to slow things down and methodically change the nomenclature. We're not going for that," a senior US official told the FT. "They need to seriously reconsider this. If they can't even agree on words, they certainly won't be able to deliver on any action."

China also objected to any mention of "critical minerals," according to the officials.

Last year, Beijing introduced sweeping new global export controls on critical materials after Trump slapped tariffs on China. Two critical materials subject to export restrictions, tungsten and germanium, among others, have only led to severe tightening across global physical markets.

President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping are set to meet on Sept. 24 in Washington, DC, as increasing hostilities have already emerged over Bessent's economic campaign against Iran and sanctions against Chinese entities. A Politico report last week detailed how US lawmakers are pressing Bessent to target large Chinese banks over Iran. Any such effort could come after the Trump-Xi meeting.

If Bessent targeted Chinese banks over their involvement with Tehran, we would expect Beijing to further tighten supplies of critical materials to the West, which is why we launched our decoupling theme, focusing on the top ex-China miner.