LONDON: The most important role China can play on the international stage is to deal with protectionism and global imbalances, while domestically, the country should use public expenses to bolster domestic demand, said Stephen King, group chief economist of HSBC.

"I think the first thing China can do, as other countries should be doing, is fight against protectionism, or its many forms, not just from a trade perspective but also from a capital perspective," King told China Daily.

Avoiding protectionism should be one of the key issues that ought to be addressed at the upcoming G20 summit, King said, as the continuation of the past 30 to 40 years of globalization depends on the free flow of trade and capital across borders.