G20 Final Communiqué to Address US Policy Impact on Emerging Markets

Financial leaders from the Group of 20 major economies are to address the impact of US monetary policy on emerging market economies in a final communiqué, after their meeting this week in Sydney, said a Russian G20 official.

However, the wording has not been finalised, the official added.

Finance ministers and central bank governors from the G20 economies, a steering committee of sorts for global economic policy, are scheduled to meet on 22-23 February.

Important policy breakthroughs, including on global growth, financial regulation, investment or cooperation in cross-border taxation are unlikely to come about from the meeting, the Russian official told Reuters.

Much discussion will surround the global economy, but the talk would also be "traditional," according to the official.

There will be a focus on a slowdown in China and this year's selloff in emerging bond, forex and equity markets, triggered by the US Federal Reserve's stimulus taper.

Discussion on financial and monetary policy changes that ensure sustainable and balanced global growth would converge on preparing strategies, using a framework assumed at the G20 summit in Russia in September 2013.

Australian officials have said they would use the country's presidency to push for agreements on growth strategies. However, those discussions are likely to be tough given that Germany has signalled it would reject any specific goals.

Meanwhile, Washington is expected to be criticised for holding up historic reforms aimed at giving developing nations a greater voice within the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Officials from the BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - which are particularly crippled by the halt in IMF quota reforms, would discuss it, but there would be no separate statement by the group.

In addition, BRICS officials are to meet on the sidelines of the G20 meeting, to discuss the creation of a development bank with a $50bn corpus and a $100bn fund mandated to steady currency markets.

Final Communiqué

Emerging market nations are expected to demand clarity from the US on its monetary policy, said the Russian official who is involved in preparations for the meeting.

"At this moment, we do not have a clear understanding of whether some responsibilities will be taken or whether there will be some agreements that will minimise the negative impact from these [US] measures," the official said.

"We have a preliminary version, but it is still a very rough draft, especially when it comes to that very point," the official said.

"It is difficult to say now how it will be reflected in the final document of the ministers."

Global Policy Coordination

Policy coordination in response to this year's turbulence in some emerging-market economies could be among the main topics for discussion at the G20 meeting, South Korea's Ministry of Strategy and Finance said on 17 February.

The South Korean finance ministry statement also said the G20 would discuss how to proceed with the IMF quota reforms after US lawmakers rebuffed a vital spending bill, required to pay for the planned changes, in January.

Global Policy Breakdown

Indian central bank governor Raghuram Rajan has warned of a breakdown in global monetary policy coordination, as the probability of continued withdrawal of Fed stimulus posed a threat to emerging market economies.

Greater Powers to Emerging Markets

Earlier, China called on the IMF to stick to a pledge to give emerging markets a greater say at the world body, after US lawmakers stalled historic reforms aimed at giving developing countries more power.

Remarks by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei on 15 January implicitly criticised the US, the largest and most powerful IMF member, where lawmakers failed on 13 January to concur on vital funding measures - the proposed $1tn spending bill for the US federal government failed to incorporate funding for the IMF.