The G20 finance ministers stressed Friday that central banks must remain independent, after months of escalating attacks by US President Donald Trump on Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell.It was the first communique under South Africa's G20 presidency and marked a rare consensus for a bloc jolted by the drastic trade policies of its richest member,

Finance chiefs from the Group of 20 countries stressed the importance of central bank independence while pledging to boost cooperation in a joint statement issued on Friday after a two-day meeting in South Africa.

The G20, which emerged as a forum for cooperation to combat the 2008 global financial crisis, failed to reach a joint stance when finance ministers and central bankers met in February, to the dismay of hosts South Africa.