G20 Trade Ministers Agree on Food Statement, but No Deal on Overcapacity, Forced Labor or MFN, China Says

BEIJING, Oct. 4 – G20 trade ministers meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 issued a joint statement opposing the use of food as a geopolitical weapon, but produced no outcome documents on the other topics set by the U.S. presidency, China's Ministry of Commerce said on Sunday. The other topics were overcapacity, forced labor and adjusting the Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) principle. The ministry said China took a constructive part in the talks while defending the interests of developing countries.

• Limited consensus: The food-security statement was the only agreed result of the meeting, which suggests the grouping remains divided on the trade issues the U.S. prioritized.
• Overcapacity and forced labor: The ministry said both issues were contentious from the outset. It noted that most G20 members face additional U.S. Section 301 tariffs linked to forced-labor concerns, or are targets of Section 301 overcapacity investigations, and said members held differing views.
• MFN principle: Most members, including China, described MFN treatment as the cornerstone of the multilateral trading system. The ministry said the presidency did not propose an outcome document on the topic.
• Food supply: The ministry said emerging-market and developing members argued that importers and exporters should jointly protect supply chains, and that countries may act on domestic policy goals and food security. It said these points are reflected in the statement.
• Next step: The ministry said China is ready to work with the presidency and other members toward economic and trade outcomes at the G20 Leaders' Summit in December 2026.

The ministry also noted that the U.S. chair's statement said Washington had issued a separate forced-labor statement with two other G20 countries outside the G20 framework.