You're familiar with the G7 and G8. You're getting to know about the G20. You may even recall once reading something about the G30. But the chances are that you've never heard of the G2.
That shouldn't be too surprising. The latest addition to the swelling list of G-numbers has only been around as a concept for a few weeks.
The G2, or Group of Two, simply refers to China and the United States.
The idea behind dignifying this select pairing with a G-number all its own is the recognition that the bilateral relationship between these two heavyweights is vitally important to the global economy. If the world is to dig itself out of the economic hole it has gotten into, then much of the spadework will have to be done by China and the US - and they will have to work together.
Of course, other countries from both the developed and developing world will play a significant role. That's why the G20 has shot to prominence in recent months as the main international forum for tackling the crisis.
But as anyone unfortunate enough to attend management meetings regularly will be able to testify, the greater the number around the conference table, the smaller the chance that anything useful will be decided. The members of the G20 are simply too numerous for it to be an effective decision-making body.