IMF Lagarde urges G20 members to reduce tariffs, trade barriers

OSAKA: International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde on Saturday urged G20 policymakers to reduce tariffs and other obstacles to trade, warning that the global economy had hit a "rough patch" due to the trade conflict.

"While the resumption of trade talks between the United States and China is welcome, tariffs already implemented are holding back the global economy, and unresolved issues carry a great deal of uncertainty about the future," Lagarde said in a statement issued upon conclusion of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, western Japan.