‘Winter is coming’: Indonesian President Joko Widodo channels Game of Thrones to warn of new crisis from trade war
Leader tells IMF summit in Bali that central banks and governments must guard against growing economic risks amid China-US trade war
Indonesian President Joko Widodo urged global central bankers and finance ministers on Friday to guard against growing risks facing the world’s economy, as a heated a Sino-US trade war roils both emerging and developed markets.
“All these troubles in the world economy, are enough to make us feel like saying: ‘winter is coming’”, he said, using a phrase that characters in the popular fantasy series often use to refer to the lurking threats that could destroy them.
The meetings, attended by more than 19,000 delegates and other guests, including ministers, central bank heads and some leaders, come at a time of renewed tumult in global financial markets as investors dumped hundreds of billions of dollars worth of equities from Wall Street to European and Asian bourses.
The fear is that the China-US trade row could upend global supply chains, and chill international trade and investment – a risk underscored by Widodo.