This week's talks in Cape Town were overshadowed by the absence of several key finance chiefs and foreign aid cuts by major economies like the United States and Britain. Disputes over trade, the Ukraine war and how to tackle climate change have long made it hard for the G20 grouping to make serious progress on global challenges.

A number of finance ministers skipped a gathering of the Group of 20 top economies in South Africa on Wednesday, and other top officials curtailed trips to a meeting marred by disputes over the main issues of climate,