Time to play a bigger global role

China is expected to hear calls at the weekend's G20 summit for greater action to address the international payment imbalance that was widely seen to be the root cause of the financial crisis.

Even before the meeting, China announced a 4-trillion-yuan economic stimulus package to expand domestic consumption to maintain sustainable growth at a time of export contraction.

The move may represent a shift in the government's development strategy, which will rely more on the domestic market than overseas demand.