DgcityTwo days of talks among Group of 20 foreign ministers in Atlanta ended on Saturday without a joint communique, after the world’s largest economies failed to narrow their divisions over the war in Ukraine, the conflict involving the United States and Iran, and global trade tensions.
The meeting, chaired by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, covered geopolitical tensions, energy security and supply chains. Instead of a communique, Washington issued a chair’s statement setting out its own priorities, including freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Black Sea, critical-mineral supply chains and food security.
China sent Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu rather than Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Ma told the gathering that the international situation was undergoing profound change and that the development agenda was falling behind. He urged the G20 to act as a force for peace, address the root causes of conflicts and strengthen global security governance, while promoting Beijing’s Global Security Initiative as a framework for resolving disputes.
He also called on member states to take concrete steps to keep global industrial and supply chains stable and to deepen cooperation on affordable energy and the transition away from fossil fuels, a message aimed partly at American tariff policy and Western efforts to reduce dependence on Chinese critical minerals.
The failure to agree a communique underscores how difficult it has become for the G20 to function as an economic steering body at a time when its members are directly involved in or arming opposing sides in two major wars. Several delegations warned that the conflicts were driving up fuel costs and trade uncertainty and voiced anxiety about possible further U.S. military action against Iran after the American midterm elections on November 3.
On the meeting’s sidelines, the top diplomats of the United States, Japan, Australia and India met as the Quad and voiced what they called grave concerns over economic coercion, arbitrary export restrictions and industrial overcapacity, language clearly aimed at China even though the country was not named.
The outcome sets a difficult stage for the G20 leaders’ summit that the United States will host in Miami in mid-December, which is expected to bring Trump and Xi together for their fourth meeting this year. Without a ministerial consensus to build on, negotiators will have to prepare the leaders’ session largely through bilateral channels, reinforcing the shift in global diplomacy away from formal multilateral statements and toward direct dealings among a small group of major powers.
