G20 Finance Meeting Ends With China Dissent and Controversy Over Russia's Presence

G20 finance leaders concluded a two day gathering in Asheville, North Carolina, with a chair's statement that all participants backed except for China. The statement called for countries to eliminate nonmarket policies and practices that exacerbate global trade imbalances, specifically targeting those with long running external surpluses. China also dissented from calls for free and safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway largely blocked by Tehran since US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun expressed regret that the meeting failed to produce a joint statement, emphasizing the need for consensus and equal participation.

The meeting was marked by diplomatic tension regarding the attendance of Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. While the US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent argued that engaging with the unsanctioned minister had no negative impact on talks, European allies expressed frustration. EU economy chief Valdis Dombrovskis stated it was not the time to normalize Russia's presence while it wages war in Ukraine. To manage this tension, Siluanov was excluded from the traditional family photo and was separated from European leaders during a separate innovation gathering in Chapel Hill.

Further diplomatic friction arose from the exclusion of South Africa, the 2025 G20 chair, from the meeting by the Trump administration. This move follows accusations by President Donald Trump regarding land seizures and violence against white farmers in South Africa, which the South African government has denied. The gathering took place against a backdrop of rising global energy prices, inflation, and a sell off in global bond markets, with Japan's 10 year bond yield hitting 3 percent for the first time since 1996.

Center left sources framed the event as being defined by the friction caused by the US welcoming Russia despite European protests. Center sources focused more heavily on the economic divide between China and the other G20 members regarding trade imbalances and the exclusion of South Africa.