China will host the G20 summit for 2016 culminating with the G20 Leaders’ Summit in the eastern city of Hangzhou on 4-5 September 2016. This is the first time that China hosts a high-level forum of global governance and investors will now be looking to Asia for clues on the region’s economic health as finance and trade ministers meet at the G20 taking place in Shanghai on Friday and Saturday.

It is now up to China to introduce positive initiatives, as well as constructive and feasible policy proposals to support the various trading systems at this summit as global economic factors continue to confound and confuse investors.

Asian Stats

Here are some of the current statistics in the area:

Japan’s inflation continues to be elusive and the Consumer Price Index due out Friday will likely show the Bank of Japan still faces an uphill battle. Predictions are that inflation will come in at 0.0 percent, after a 0.1 percent rise in December. And in addition to the negative rates policy introduced in January, the central bank has signaled that it may do more if necessary.

Hong Kong’s financial secretary will unveil the 2016-2017 budget and release 2015 Q4 and full year GDP figures on Wednesday which is expected to come in soft at 0.4 percent compared to the 0.9 percent gain in the previous quarter. January’s foreign trade data on will be released on Thursday, and is expected to show both exports and imports on the uptrend and trade deficit narrowing to $4.14 billion (HK32.2 billion) from $5.88 billion (HK45.7 billion).

New Zealand’s January foreign trade is due out Friday and is forecast to show a $260.2 million trade deficit from a $35.2 million in December.