The Group of Seven nations plan to discuss financial and economic aspects of advancing information technology as the key to world economic growth when their finance ministers hold a pre-summit meeting July 8 in Fukuoka, G7 officials said Monday.
The IT issues are expected to focus on macroeconomics, electronic financial services, electronic commerce, development aid and Internet-related crime, the officials said.
The finance ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States are also set to follow up on three issues involving the state of the global economy and those of the G7 economies, the international financial-system architecture — including reforms of the International Monetary Fund — and relief measures for heavily indebted poor nations, the officials said.
The agenda issues took center stage at a one-day meeting, held Monday in Karuizawa, of so-called "sherpas" — the personal representatives of G7 finance ministers, in preparation for the Fukuoka meeting.