Interview: Chinese G20 presidency "ambitious" in seeking solutions for global growth: OECD official

OECD Chief of Staff and Sherpa to the G20, Gabriela Ramos, has hailed Chinese G20 presidency's efforts in seeking to integrate efforts of G20 countries to reboost global growth as "encouraging" and "ambitious."

Ramos made the remarks during a recent interview on the upcoming G20 summit, set for September in Hangzhou, east China, with Xinhua.

She said the Chinese G20 presidency has brought three messages that are "very welcome" to international community.

Ramos said the first message is innovation. In her opinion, the world economy, hit by a low-growth scenario, is still in a "challenging" time though "we have been for eight years, trying everything to re-boost the growth " since the 2008 international financial crisis.

"And that's where I think that the narrative of the Chinese G20 Presidency, which is to boost for an innovation-based growth, has a good meaning. Because this is where countries are going to build their growth potential going forward," Ramos said.

The second meaningful message is green development. Ramos noted that China's strong support to the Climate Change Agreement reached last December in Paris is "refreshing" and is helpful to the signature of the Agreement in G20 member countries.

It is noted that in April this year, under China's leadership, the G20 issued its first Presidency Statement on Climate Change, committing to signing the Paris Agreement and bringing the Agreement into force as soon as possible.

The third message brought by China is to promote practical exchanges. Citing an example, Ramos said Chinese G20 presidency plans to put together in Hangzhou Summit agenda the subjects of trade and investment for discussion. In her eyes, this plan is favorable for finding solutions to real problems.

"We always seem to compartmentalize these two things, but it is really well integrated. China is actually trying to advance that agenda," Ramos said.

On assisting in preparing for the Hangzhou summit, Ramos said she found China "is really trying to look at the issues and trying to find solutions."

Ramos noted that it's not easy to reach consensus in G20 because every country has its own agenda, interests and its ways to do things.

But Chinese G20 presidency, assisted by OECD and other partners, has been trying to find the most possible consensus, the OECD official said. "The cooperation with China is very encouraging and China is ambitious in trying to find solutions," she added.

Moreover, she expressed hope that G20 members would reach a strong commitment about innovating growth pattern during the Hangzhou Summit. Endit