Arab News | G20 against ‘weaponization’ of food trade: French minister

MILWAUKEE: G20 trade ministers agree that it is “not acceptable” for countries to target food supplies in conflicts, a French official told AFP on Thursday, adding that European leaders took aim at Russia on the issue at high-level talks.

Trade officials from the Group of 20 major economies are gathered in Milwaukee for two days of intense meetings this week.

The discussions come as US President Donald Trump’s tariffs strain Washington’s ties with partners, while China pushes back on accusations of excess industrial capacity, which critics say drives prices down unfairly.

On Thursday, France’s minister delegate for international trade, Nicolas Forissier, told AFP that countries have found common ground “on the fact that it’s not acceptable to weaponize food and agriculture” in conflicts.

His comments on the sidelines of G20 talks come as Russian and Ukrainian strikes targeting Black Sea ports have been wrecking and idling agricultural export capacity more quickly than trade flows can recover.

Moscow and Kyiv have been locked in war since Russia’s 2022 invasion.

Forissier told AFP that European officials including himself and German and British representatives to the G20 criticized Russia’s attacks.

“We have to say what we think, especially on the weaponization of food,” he said.

He added that European leaders’ comments against “the aggression of Russia in Ukraine” on food exports merely constitute “the truth.”

Forissier said this did not mean the ambience at G20 talks were bad: “On the contrary, I think the discussions are quite constructive.”

Russia is represented at the gathering this week by minister for economic development Maxim Reshetnikov.

The Russian minister on Wednesday criticized European leaders for speaking in political slogans, state-controlled network Russia Today reported.

– Widening trade ties –

Trade ministers from several G20 economies are also seeking to widen trade talks beyond their US host this week.

Canada for example is seeking bilateral trade deals with India, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and with the European Union on digital trade, Ottawa’s minister for international trade Maninder Sidhu told reporters Thursday.

He said Canada and India look forward to concluding negotiations “in the coming months.”

Sidhu also met Trump’s top trade official Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of G20 talks.

He told AFP that both sides discussed further Canada-US cooperation among other issues, but did not go into details.

While Sidhu is in Milwaukee, Greer’s counterpart in US-Canada trade talks is Dominic LeBlanc, who handles trade ties between both countries.

Countries are also seeking cooperation with Washington to lower tariffs.

A Mexican official said Thursday that the country is making “steady progress” towards a US tariff deal.

“We would expect to have some reductions in steel and cars and aluminum,” the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Mexico is not looking to rush negotiations, the official said when asked if a deal would be struck before key US midterm elections.