Milwaukee (United States) (AFP) - Trade ministers in the Group of Twenty begin talks on Wednesday under American sponsorship, at a time when Washington imposes customs tariffs on its partners in the group, accusing them of violating the rules of global competition.

Published on: 09/30/2026 - 10:56

This year, Washington is organizing a series of meetings of the Group of Twenty, which includes major global economies such as China, India, Japan and France.

The summit dedicated to trade issues is scheduled to last for two days in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the northern United States, not far from the border with Canada, which in turn is targeted by the trade war launched by US President Donald Trump.

Analysts believed that the summit would yield few results, especially since the customs tariffs imposed by Trump angered many countries, while China denies the existence of a surplus in production capacity that would lead to an increase in its exports and affect global prices.

Josh Lipsky of the Atlantic Council Research Center told AFP, “We should not expect any breakthroughs in Milwaukee,” noting that Trump prefers bilateral negotiations.

Although G20 members will be keen to find ways to cooperate with the world's largest economy, "they will also be keen to express their concerns about tariffs," according to Wendy Cutler, vice president of the American Asia Society Policy Institute.

For his part, US Trade Representative Jameson Greer confirmed, during his participation in an event on the sidelines of the summit in Milwaukee on Tuesday, that US policy “was not hostile to trade.”

"how far?"

Since his return to power, US President Donald Trump has launched a protectionist attack based on raising customs duties on products imported into the United States.

In February, the Supreme Court canceled the comprehensive customs duties imposed on countries around the world. However, tariffs targeting specific sectors (automotive, steel, and timber) remained in effect.

The US administration replaced the partially canceled customs duties by imposing a new tax (at a rate of 10 percent or 12.5 percent) on about 60 trading partners, which it accuses of not doing enough to combat forced labor.

These sanctions affect China, India and the European Union, members of the G20.

The threat of additional customs tariffs remains looming, based on the issue of “excess industrial capacity.” Although this term refers to competition with China, the Americans are targeting the European Union, Japan, and even South Korea.

Wendy Cutler predicted that some countries that feel “unfairly targeted” will not “hesitate to denounce” such measures.

In this context, she noted that China seeks to present itself as serving the public interest by providing high-quality products at low prices.

On a broader scale, Josh Lipsky saw that G20 members “are wondering how far they should go in dealing with the Trump administration, given that trade policy may change in the United States after 2028,” that is, after the end of the Republican billionaire’s term.

On the sidelines of the G20, workers and activists criticized the US administration for not improving the conditions of workers, farmers, and small businesses as promised.

John Drew, an official in the United Auto Workers Union in Wisconsin, expressed his regret at the loss of manufacturing jobs in this state located in the American Midwest. He said, "Customs duties did not contribute to restoring jobs or reviving industrial production."

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© 2026 AFP

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