China's Ministry of Commerce criticizes US agenda setting for G20 trade ministers' meeting

(Shanghai = Yonhap News) Correspondent Cha Byeong-seop = Regarding the results of the recent trade ministers' meeting ahead of the G20 summit to be held in the United States in December, China's Ministry of Commerce expressed a critical stance on the setting and implementation of some agendas by the United States, the chair country.

A Department of Commerce spokesperson said this on the 4th in relation to the four agenda items discussed at the G20 Trade Ministers' meeting held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA for two days until the 1st (local time), including food weaponization, structural overproduction, most-favored-nation treatment reform, and elimination of forced labor in the global supply chain.

As a result of the meeting, a joint statement opposing the weaponization of food was issued, but no outcome documents were produced for the remaining three agenda items.

A Commerce Department spokesperson said, "Oversupply and forced labor have been highly controversial from the beginning of the agenda. Currently, G20 member countries are generally subject to additional tariffs on forced labor (under Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act), and many member countries are under investigation for overproduction."

He continued, “As the chair country (the United States) set these agendas and promoted the announcement of a joint statement and the establishment of a cooperation mechanism, a very large number of member countries expressed different views from different perspectives,” he said. “In the end, the majority had different views, so it did not reach an outcome document.”

In addition, regarding the reform of MFN treatment, "the absolute majority, including China, emphasized during the discussion that this principle is the cornerstone of the multilateral trade system," and stated that the United States did not propose a performance document on this in accordance with the opinions of each country.

Previously, Li Chenggang, China's chief international trade negotiator, attended this meeting and urged that the overproduction agenda should be "comprehensively, objectively and dynamically analyzed from a global perspective. Instead of creating confrontation, we should consider more cooperation."

He emphasized, “China wants to actively dialogue and cooperate with each country on industrial policies,” and “China resolutely opposes the implementation of unilateralism and protectionism in the name of responding to overproduction and eliminating forced labor.”

The Ministry of Commerce added that during this meeting, Representative Lee met with representatives from Korea, the United States, and the European Union (EU).