China urged the United States and other G20 members to uphold equal consultation after finance ministers and central bank governors ended their two-day Asheville, North Carolina, meeting without a joint communiqué. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Beijing had participated actively and constructively since the United States assumed the G20 presidency for 2026, but expressed deep regret over the lack of consensus and called for objective, fair and balanced coordination based on consultation and equal participation. The U.S. Treasury said China objected to references to imbalances and non-market policies in the chair’s statement. At the meeting, Vice Finance Minister Liao Min outlined China’s 15th Five-Year Plan priorities, including expanding domestic demand, investing in people, innovation-driven development and support for market entities of all ownership forms, while central bank Governor Pan Gongsheng rejected claims that China deliberately pursues trade surpluses and advocated structural reforms to address global imbalances. His remarks followed China’s record trade surplus of nearly $1.2 trillion in 2025. The meeting also covered artificial intelligence, developing-country debt, trade protectionism and global growth, against a fractious backdrop involving Russia and U.S. policy toward Canada. U.S. President Donald Trump called the discussions very productive and positive, while Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov attended his first such meeting since Russia launched its special military operation against Ukraine in 2022.