US Trade Chief Urges G20 to Back Tariff Agenda and Calls Out China

US Trade Chief Urges G20 to Back Tariff Agenda and Calls Out China Over Factory Overproduction

The United States has called on the world's leading economies to rethink the global trade rules that have governed cross-border business since World War II. Opening the Group of 20 (G20) trade ministers meeting in Milwaukee, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer made a direct push for the Trump administration's trade agenda, emphasizing that tariffs are vital for protecting domestic industries and securing critical supply chains.

Addressing China's Excess Production

Greer placed significant focus on the economic fallout caused by state-subsidized factory surpluses, taking aim at Beijing's trade practices.

He warned that when governments use non-market policies to produce far more goods than their own citizens can consume, the surplus floods international markets. This dynamic depresses prices globally, placing severe financial pressure on overseas factories and workers.

While China has consistently denied that its industrial policies harm other nations, Greer noted that excess capacity distorts global commerce. Earlier in the day, a coalition of 28 mostly Western nations agreed on the sidelines of the summit to work toward coordinated tariffs on Chinese steel to curb oversupply.