A sense of uncertainty lingered among the finance ministers of G20 nations as they wrapped up a meeting in Japan and headed back to their home countries.<br />Weighing heavily on their minds were concerns that trade and geopolitical tensions have "intensified" to the point where they are now a threat to the global economy.<br />Lee Seung-jae has the details.<br />A two-day gathering of G20 finance leaders came to an end in Fukuoka on Sunday under a cloud of uncertainty about the health of the world economy as trade tensions escalate.<br />Despite problems pointing to the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China,... the finance leaders stopped short of calling for a resolution.<br />In fact, in the joint statement released on the final day,... a proposed clause to "recognize the pressing need to resolve trade tensions" was excluded.<br />According to sources,... the deletion came at the insistence of Washington,... as it looks to continue hitting China with massive tariffs.<br />The statement also contains no admissions that the deepening U.S.-China trade conflict is damaging global growth.<br />This comes as the IMF warned last week that while global growth is still expected to improve this year and next,... the U.S.-China trade war could shave zero-point-five percent from global GDP output in 2020.<br />For context, that's equivalent to the size of South Africa's entire economy.<br />However, the G20 finance leaders agreed to compile common rules by 2020,... in order to close loopholes that are used by global tech giants to reduce their corporate taxes.<br />The communique also includes pledges to increase debt transparency on the part of borrowers and creditors.<br />Sustainable infrastructure development was another priority amid concerns China's massive Belt and Road infrastructure drive is saddling poor nations with debt they can't afford to repay.<br />Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.<br />
