G20 trade talks fail to agree on overcapacity, forced labor

G20 trade ministers failed to reach agreements on overcapacity and forced labor after two days of talks in Milwaukee, with China saying on Sunday that divergent opinions contributed to the lack of consensus.

The United States holds the rotating presidency of the Group of 20 major economies this year. Top US trade official Jamieson Greer said after the talks that a draft ministerial statement against excess capacity was supported by all but a handful of members.

China's Ministry of Commerce said issues including overcapacity and forced labor had been controversial from the start. It said G20 members are subject to tariffs related to forced labor and are frequent targets of investigations into overcapacity.

The ministry said many members expressed differing views about the US presidency's decision to raise the issues, seek a joint statement and establish cooperation mechanisms. It did not name the countries that opposed the draft.

China also noted that a post-meeting chair's statement said the United States and two other G20 nations issued a statement outside the G20 framework on forced labor. A G20 leaders' summit is due to be held in mid-December at a Miami golf resort owned by US President Donald Trump.