Will India Intervene in the Sino-U.S. Exchange Rate War?

Published in Zaobao
(China) on 8 April 2010
by Qi Xiniao (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Meghan McGrath. Edited by Alex Brewer.
Facing pressure from the United States, China has been defending the RMB exchange rate very firmly. So the U.S. has turned to allies — the European Union and Japan — for help, but they are taking an observer’s standpoint. After all, the trade deficit between the European Union, Japan, and China is not as serious as that of the U.S. Furthermore, the U.S. is pressing for the Yuan to appreciate against the U.S. dollar.

Therefore, the U.S. has set its sights on India.

According to media reports:

From April 5 to April 7, the U.S. Treasury Secretary [Tim Geithner] took a trip to India with the intention of “persuading” India into applying joint pressure on the RMB exchange rate.

Moreover, the U.S. think tanks have begun preparing public opinion: Washington think tank staffer Arvind Subramanian said, “There is one potentially big issue of common interest between the U.S. and India — the Chinese exchange rate.” The RMB is undervalued, and India’s economy far exceeds the U.S. economy. India will likely join the lobbying ranks, and in the G20 Summit, put pressure on China.

So, will India intervene with the Sino-U.S. exchange war?

There is great interest in India’s intervention, and together with the U.S., the possibility to put pressure on China is very slim. That is to say, during [Geithner's] trip to India, it was hard to convince India onto the American’s side. The reason for this is simple: Putting pressure on the RMB is not consistent with India’s national interests.

If India openly supports the U.S. position on the RMB exchange rate at the G20 summit, it is confirmed that “India will be a tool for the United States to counterbalance China.” This will set China and neighboring countries on alert, and adversely affect India.

More importantly, if the Sino-U.S. exchange rate war intensifies, Americans will crack down on the export of Chinese goods to the U.S. marketplace. This leaves open the opportunity for India to snatch up what China has lost from the American market. At this point, how can India and the United States work together to appreciate the value of the RMB? As the Sino-U.S. exchange rate war heats up, India’s business world grows more exciting.

It is difficult to judge the impact of the RMB’s appreciation on India’s economy. With the current RMB exchange rate, India’s economic growth has been great for the last few years, but if the RMB appreciates drastically, the effect on India’s economy will be hard to predict. India is concerned, as the RMB exchange rate is likely hiding an enormous risk to India’s economic well-being.

As India develops as a country, concerning the RMB exchange rate issue, India should stand by the other developing countries like China. Only in this way can India safeguard the interests of developing countries.


印度人将插手中美汇率大战?

在美国人的压力面前,中国捍卫人民币汇率的态度很坚定。美国人转向盟国求援,欧盟、日本均持旁观者立场。毕竟,欧盟、日本与中国之间的贸易逆差情况没有美国那么严重。而且,美国人主要是逼人民币对美元升值。

  于是,美国人把目光转向了印度。

  据媒体报道:

  “美财政部长盖特纳在4月5日到4月7日的印度之行中,有意“游说”印度联手对人民币汇率施压。”

  而且,美国智库人士也开始造舆论:“美国华盛顿智囊团人员阿尔温德·苏布拉马尼安的话说,人民币汇率是美国和印度之间一个有着共同利益的大事。人民币被低估,对印度经济的影响远超过美国。而印度很有可能加入游说大军,在G20这样的大的峰会中,向中国施压。”

  那么,印度人会插手中美汇率大战吗?

  印度人插手的兴趣很大,与美国联手向中国施压的可能性则很小。也就是说,盖特那的印度之行,很难说服印度人站在美国一边。原因很简单,因为印度人站在美国人方面压人民币升值并不符合印度的国家利益。

  如果印度人公开支持美国的人民币汇率问题立场,在20国峰会上游说人民币升值,那将证实坊间“印度是美国用来制衡中国的工具”的说法,将引起中国及周边国家警惕,对印度国家利益不利。

  更重要的是,如果中美汇率战激化,美国人对中国出口到美国的商品进行制裁的话,印度人将坐收渔翁之利,趁机抢占中国人失去的美国市场。在这种立场下,印度人怎么可能和美国一起压人民币升值呢?中美之间汇率战打得越热闹,印度工商界越开心。

  另外,人民币升值对印度经济的影响很难判断。在现行的人民币汇率水平下,印度这些年经济增长状况很不错,如果人民币大幅度升值,对印度经济的影响很难预测。对印度来讲,人民币汇率变动很可能隐藏巨大风险。

  印度作为发展中国家,在人民币汇率问题上,应该站在同为发展中国家的中国立场上,只有这样,才能在很多国际场合中共同维护发展中国家的利益。

  七犀鸟
This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

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