IMF: China slowdown could keep global interest rates low

International Monetary Fund's downbeat comments come before G20 finance ministers meet in Ankara

The recent turmoil in financial markets and the struggling Chinese economy could combine to hit global economic growth this year and force central banks to keep interest rates low, the International Monetary Fund has said ahead of a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Ankara this weekend.

In a downbeat report that charted the increasing risk of a global slowdown, the IMF said finance ministers attending the conference in the Turkish capital needed to maintain government spending despite the still high public-sector debts left over from the 2008 banking crash.

Related: IMF chief warns of slower growth after China shockwaves