The G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, ended without a consensus joint communiqué after China objected to multiple sections of the draft. The United States, holding the rotating presidency, released a chair’s statement instead. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the other 19 G20 members supported the communiqué and accused China of obstructing efforts to rebalance global trade. The disputed language addressed persistent external surpluses, non-market policies and practices, critical minerals, freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, trade-imbalance monitoring, and debt restructuring. China’s trade surplus reached a reported record $1.2 trillion in 2025, while Chinese customs data showed goods trade of CNY 30.13 trillion in the first seven months of this year. The dispute is likely to carry into the expected meeting between Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where Bessent said artificial intelligence will also be discussed.