Some G20 differences remain over imbalances, sovereign debt, US Treasury official says

September 1, 2026 4:35 PM EDT

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during a "fireside chat", as finance ministers and central bank governors from G20 countries meet in Asheville, North Carolina, U.S., September 1, 2026. REUTERS/Sam Wolfe

By David Lawder

ASHEVILLE, North ‌Carolina, Sept ​1 (Reuters) - ​A Group of 20 joint statement reflecting U.S. priorities on reducing global imbalances and sovereign debt restructurings ‌may not be possible due to some remaining differences ⁠over language, U.S. Treasury Undersecretary for International Affairs Erin Browne told Reuters in ‌an interview on Tuesday.

"We've ‌been working really hard on a communiqué, but we want to make sure that it reflects U.S. interests and America ​First priorities, and if we are unable to come to a conclusion, we're comfortable with that," Browne said, adding ⁠that the alternative would be to issue a chair's statement on the discussions.

Browne said ​that there were differences among trade surplus and trade deficit countries on the language surrounding the challenges ​posed by global imbalances.

U.S. Treasury Secretary ‌Scott Bessent, who is pushing the effort for countries to bring down trade and fiscal imbalances, said ⁠on Tuesday that these were "sucking" much-needed growth out of the global economy.

Browne declined to discuss G20 member China's specific stance in the ⁠communiqué negotiations, but said that China is widely viewed as the biggest source ​of imbalances around the world. Many other G20 countries agreed on the need to cut imbalances, she said.

"I think a lot of members of ‌the G20 think this is a really significant and if not one of the most pressing ‌issues for us to focus on within the G20," Browne ⁠said.

Failure to correct them could ‌ultimately result in "a ​real financial stability event" as economic dependencies and vulnerabilities grow, she added.

(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by ‌Andrea Ricci )



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