U.S. Secretary of Treasury Tim
Geithner will attend the G20 summit in Mexico next week, the
Department of the Treasury announced in a statement on Wednesday.
Geithner will accompany U.S. President Barack Obama to the G20
summit due to be held in the Mexican resort of Los Cabos on June 18-
19, the statement said.
With respect to his schedule, Geithner will, on June 18, attend a
working dinner of finance Ministers in the evening, said the
statement.
On June 19, he will conduct a bilateral meeting with Chinese Vice
Premier Wang Qishan in the afternoon. In the same day, Geithner will
also attend a working lunch of finance Ministers.
He will depart Mexico for the United States on the evening of
June 19, according to the statement.
The upcoming G20 is expected to pursue a broad agenda, ranging
from the ongoing eurozone crisis, financial regulation to green
growth.
Haunted by domestic campaign pressure, analysts believe that
Obama will probably utilize the venue in Los Cabos to press others,
particularly the Europeans, to do more, for fear that the troubles
in Europe will further drag down growth in America and ultimately
affecting his election.
In a recent forum at a Washington think-tank, Michael Froman, the
senior economic aide to Obama, called the ongoing eurozone crisis
the "biggest issue" in the global economy right now. He expected the
G20 leaders to spend a "disproportionate" amount of their time to
talk about the state of the global economy, " particularly what's
going on in the eurozone."
While recognizing a "number of very important steps" taken by the
Europeans, Froman said bluntly: "It's clear now that the markets
expect more. And more is needed."
