How High Must the Yuan Rise before the U.S. Is Satisfied?

Published in Nanfang Daily
(China) on 13 April 2010
by Li Wei (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Brian Tawney. Edited by Laura Berlinsky-Schine.
In recent meetings, the leaders of China and the U.S. have spent much time discussing the question of sanctions for Iran, and also debating the issue of the exchange rate for the yuan. Chairman Hu Jintao has asserted that a rise in the value of the yuan would not resolve the issue of the trade imbalance between China and America, nor would it solve the problems of unemployment in the U.S. No amount of external pressure will influence the reforms being made to the mechanisms that shape the RMB exchange rate. So, how great is this external pressure and what value do they expect the yuan to have?

According to Peter Morici, a professor of economics at the University of Maryland, the yuan is undervalued by 40 percent. This notion has gained a great deal of currency in America and, as a result, a few members of the U.S. Congress have placed the blame for unemployment in the U.S. on the low value of the yuan. For this reason, they urge that China should be added to the list of nations that manipulate exchange rates, as a way of exerting pressure on the Chinese government. They ultimately hope to see the yuan rise in value by 40 percent, but this idea is already several years old and, in the meantime, there have already been a series of increases in value. Nonetheless, the idea of a 40 percent increase is still widespread in America and that means they will only consider it sufficient if the value of the yuan falls to around four yuan per dollar!

This drop would be so great that they themselves do not expect China to agree to it. Thus, it is clear that this has been a bargaining technique all along. Early on, they produced a high, theoretical target with which to threaten us. Afterward, they proposed a high price, we answered with a low price, they conceded a little, we advanced a little and we haggled them down to an agreement on a value in the middle. Indeed, the Chinese chairman's attendance at America's summit for international heads of state is a concession made by China in response to America's act of goodwill in not listing China among the nations that manipulate exchange rates. This has already been settled, meaning that Chairman Hu Jintao has responded firmly on the issue of the exchange rate.

America's foreign currency market has made its own determination on the exchange rate, aside from the one that is expected by the U.S. Congress and the administration. They widely hold that, in the near future, China might let the yuan rise 2-3 percent in value. According to this calculation, at that time, the yuan will be valued at a rate of only five to six yuan to the dollar. Furthermore, they assume there must be some time to adjust, so from beginning to end the process would take several months. Gradually, this will come to benefit both China and America, especially if one considers what Obama needs during the American mid-term elections.

Let us take a lesson from the bilateral trade negotiation methods previously used by Japan with the United States. The Japanese persisted in looking after their own interests and, when they were compelled to make concessions, they seized on the opportunity to reorganize their own industrial infrastructure. While they implemented these changes, they put off what they could, and the experience was very worthwhile!


李炜:人民币要升几个百分点美国才满意?

中美领导人刚刚会面的时候,花了很多的时间讨论制裁伊朗的问题,也谈到了人民币汇率的问题。胡锦涛主席表示,人民币升值既解决不了中美贸易不平衡问题,也解决不了美国的就业问题。人民币汇率形成机制改革不屈服外部压力。那么这个外部的压力有多大,期待值有多少呢?

美国马里兰大学经济学教授彼得·莫里奇认为,人民币被低估了40%。而且这种观点在美国很有市场,所以,美国国会一些议员们就把美国失业的责任推到了人民币被低估的原因上,于是,他们提议要给中国政府施加压力,要求把中国列入到操纵汇率的国家名单里。他们最终对人民币升值的期待值是升值40%,但是这个40%的概念是好几年前就已经有的,在人民币一系列升值后的今天,美国普遍概念仍然是40%,也就是他们希望人民币达到4元多兑换1个美元的时候,他们才算满意,才能罢手!

这么大的差距,他们自己也估计到中国肯定不会让步的。很明显,这也是做买卖一贯的做法,先拿出一个理论高目标威胁我方,然后,对方再提出一个高价,我就回你一个底价,对方退一步,我进一步,最后争取达成一个中间值的协议。其实,中国国家主席参加美国提议的国际首脑峰会已经是中国的让步了,这个访问本身就回答了美国不把中国列入到操纵汇率国家名单善意,已经打平了,所以胡锦涛主席关于汇率问题的答复依然很强硬!

除了美国国会和政府方面期待的汇率目标外,美国外汇市场上也有自己的判断,他们普遍认为,估计在不远的未来,中国可能会让人民币升值2-3%,按照这个算法,到时候人民币兑换1个美元只需要6,5元左右,而且有个消化的时间,前前后后需要好几个月的时间。慢慢来,这样更能照顾到中美双方的利益,尤要考虑美国中期选举时奥巴马的需要。

学习一下当年日本人跟美国的双边贸易谈判的方法,日本人坚持自己利益,被迫做出让步后,乘机调整自己的产业结构,同时执行的时候,能拖就拖,有很多可取的经验!
This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

Hot this week

Germany: Musk Helps the Democrats

Australia: As Trump Turns His Back on Renewables, China Is Building the Future

India: Peace Nobel for Trump: It’s Too Long a Stretch

Germany: Trump’s Disappointment Will Have No Adverse Consequences for Putin*

             

Topics

Canada: How To Avoid ICE? Follow the Rules

Canada: Trump Doesn’t Hold All the Cards on International Trade

Ireland: The Irish Times View on Trump and Ukraine: a Step in the Right Direction

Australia: As Trump Turns His Back on Renewables, China Is Building the Future

Germany: Bad Prospects

Germany: Musk Helps the Democrats

India: Peace Nobel for Trump: It’s Too Long a Stretch

Ecuador: Monsters in Florida

Related Articles

Australia: As Trump Turns His Back on Renewables, China Is Building the Future

Indonesia: US-China: Tariff, Tension, and Truce

China: US Chip Restrictions Backfiring

Thailand: US-China Trade Truce Didn’t Solve Rare Earths Riddle

Taiwan: Taiwan Issue Will Be Harder To Bypass during Future US-China Negotiations