The signboard of Mitsubishi Corp is pictured at its head office in Tokyo, Japan August 2, 2017. [REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo]

Japanese trading house Mitsubishi Corp is closely watching the development of a spreading coronavirus in China as it will affect the global economy and prices of natural resources, its chief financial officer said on Wednesday.

“In the short term, any impact on our business in China will be limited,” Chief Financial Officer Kazuyuki Masu told an earnings news conference.

“But we need to closely watch the development as the spreading outbreak will affect economic activities and natural resource markets,” he said, adding that changes in commodity prices will have an impact on its earnings over the long term.