Columbia International Affairs Online: Working Papers

CIAO DATE: 12/2014

China's Goals in the G20: Expectation, Strategy and Agenda

Alex He

August 2014

Centre for International Governance Innovation

Abstract

The G20 has emerged as the lynchpin of China’s involvement in global economic governance. It remains the only economic institutional setting where the country can operate on par with major Western powers. China has a strong interest in maintaining the status of the G20 as the premier forum for economic cooperation, and a vested interest in ensuring that the G20 does not degrade into yet another “talk shop” of multilateral diplomacy. However, the Chinese leadership’s current approach to the G20 is not driven by a desire to position the country as a leading agenda setter.