Int'l trade to be priority topic at G20 finance chief meeting

TOKYO, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Japan's top currency diplomat said Monday that issues concerning international trade, intellectual property protection and government subsidies will be focused on during the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) finance chief meeting.

Masatsugu Asakawa, Japan's vice minister of finance for international affairs, said in a meeting of G20 think tanks that apart from addressing the world trade situation, topics such as "how to protect intellectual property rights" and "how to address market-distorting subsidy provisions" will also be top priorities.

Concerns still remain in the international community that intellectual property rights abuse and subsidies are hindering operation of the global market, according to the think tanks.

Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said in the meeting of think tanks that with the help of fiscal stimulus measures in China and other Asian countries, he expects the Chinese economy to further grow in the near future.

The two-day finance chief meeting in Fukuoka starting from June 8 will also cover new international taxation rules for multinational companies such as Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon to curb tax evasion, Asakawa said.

Infrastructure projects in developing countries will also be high on the agenda, according to the official.

Asakawa said that he will attend the G20 finance chief meeting as a member of Japan's delegation led by Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso ahead of the G20 summit to be held in late June in Osaka, western Japan.