BBC News - Barack Obama urges China to relax grip on its currency: "Barack Obama urges China to relax grip on its currency
Barack Obama
President Obama believes China could help protect US jobs
US President Barack Obama has urged China to change its currency strategy to help re-balance the global economy.
In a speech in Washington, Mr Obama said China should move to a 'more market-based exchange rate' so that US exporters are not disadvantaged.
US manufacturers have complained that the yuan is being kept artificially low, making imports to China dearer.
Mr Obama's comments risk upsetting Beijing, which regards currency issues as an internal matter.
'Essential contribution'
'For too long, America served as the consumer engine for the entire world. But we are rebalancing. We're saving more. We all need to rebalance,' Mr Obama said.
Currently, developing countries like China and India export more to developed economies like the US and Europe than they import.
In China's case, this trend is supported by the low value of the yuan, which makes Chinese exports cheaper while rendering foreign imports more expensive.
Freeing up the exchange rate would effectively raise the value of the yuan and benefit US exporters.
'Countries with external deficits need to save and export more. Countries with external surpluses need to boost consumption and domestic demand,' Mr Obama added.
'As I've said before, China moving to a more market-oriented exchange rate would make an essential contribution to that global rebalancing effort.'
Currency manipulator?
Big business in the US has told Mr Obama to get tougher with China on trade and currency issues.
In his speech, to the Import-Export Bank's annual conference, Mr Obama said that 'at a time when millions of Americans are out of work, boosting our exports is a short-term imperative.
'When other markets are growing, and other nations are competing, we need to get even better. We need to secure our companies a level playing field,' he said.
Despite Mr Obama's carefully-chosen words, they are unlikely to go down well in Beijing.
US-China relations have soured recently, largely over Mr Obama's meeting last month with the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and over arms sales to Taiwan.
And relations could be about to worsen. The US Treasury Department is considering whether to label China a 'currency manipulator' in a report due on 15 April.
Last Saturday China's central bank released a statement pledging to keep the country's currency stable throughout 2010.
Beijing fears that a change in its exchange rate will slow economic growth. Chinese exports fell 16% last year."
