US Treasury Sec Mnuchin: What was in the past G20 communique is not necessarily relevant; the current communique has language on strengthening trade and reducing imbalances
- Should not read too much into the change in G20 communique language; wanted to ensure that it reflected the issues that were discussed
- US wants to reduce trade deficits over time
- We believe in free trade, we are in one of the largest markets in the world, we are one of the largest trading partners in the world, trade has been good for us, it has been good for other people. Having said that, we want to re-examine certain agreements.
- Both bilateral and multilateral agreements have their place
* German Fin Min Schaeuble: G20 Communique was adopted unanimously
- G20 trade discussions were complicated; there was broad consensus that open trade is necessary to strengthen global growth
- Not feeling pessimistic about future trade discussions despite difficult talks
- US was never isolated during the G20 talks; US remains indispensable in discussion of global problems
- Greece was not discussed at G20
* Bundesbank Pres Weidmann: no consensus at G20 meeting on further development of trade system
- Evaluation of financial market regulations does not mean rolling them back
* IMF's Lagarde: Global cooperation and pursuing the right policies can help achieve strong, sustained, balanced, and inclusive growth, while the wrong ones could stop the new momentum in its tracks
- There are signs that the global economy has reached a turning point, even though uncertainties remain
* Japan Fin Min Aso: No one at the meeting remarked that they were against free trade