Criticism about renminbi refuted ( 2003-09-23 01:14) (China Daily)
China has refuted recent United States criticism about
its exchange rate policy, reiterating its principles of independence and
responsibility in handling the issue.
"The exchange rate system and policy are a country's internal affair and no
other country has the right to interfere," a spokesman for the State
Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) said Monday.
"On this issue, China has always been independent and highly responsible, on
which the international community has long agreed."
Speculation that the exchange rate of the Chinese currency, known as the
renminbi or yuan, would appreciate under foreign pressure subsided after US
Treasury Secretary John Snow's visit to Beijing earlier this month. He came to
press the Chinese Government to revalue the currency.
But US Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evans soon stepped up criticism, accusing
the country of backsliding on the promises to ease restrictions on foreign
companies, dismantle trade barriers and clamp down on software piracy.
The SAFE spokesman reiterated that China will continue to maintain the basic
stability of the renminbi's exchange rate, which he said has not only helped
promote China's reform and opening-up and stimulate domestic demand, but
contributed to the fight against the Asian financial crisis.
"It's proven that maintaining the basic stability of the renminbi's exchange
rate benefits not only China, but also Asia and the world," he said.
US manufacturers complain that China has kept its exports artificially cheap
by keeping the yuan undervalued against the dollar, resulting in losses of US
manufacturing jobs. In Congress, lawmakers are pushing for legislation that
would impose import tariffs on Chinese products comparable to the amount they
claim China's currency is undervalued.
"Any form of trade protectionism is unfair and a breach of World Trade
Organization rules," the SAFE spokesman said.
"One should not turn the exchange rate issue into an international political
issue and use it as an excuse for trade protectionism."
He said the employment problems in developed countries are unrelated to
China's exchange rate policy. "Every country has its own structural adjustment,
employment and reemployment problems," the spokesman said.
"From 1998 to 2002, China's total secondary industry employment decreased by
8.2 million, but we never blamed any other country."
He noted that the main reason for China's trade and capital account surpluses
is globalization -- especially the transfer of production by many multinationals
to the Chinese market -- in addition to its narrowing of the renminbi's floating
range in 1997 as part of efforts to deal with the financial crisis.
"We never purposefully pursued a sizable surplus on the international balance
of payments," the spokesman said.
China's foreign trade surplus is declining. Its total trade surplus fell by
66.5 per cent on a year-on-year basis to US$4.5 billion in the first half of the
year, while its trade deficit with Japan more than tripled to US$6.7
billion.