2013-04-16 10:05:26 +02:00

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# G20 struggles to find common ground on currency war, triggers US push for
trade caps
## Finance ministers from the Group of 20 nations struggled to agree on how
to prevent a currency war on Friday, with the United States switching tack to
focus on a way to rebalance global trade.
![G20 struggles to find common ground on currencies. US Treasury Secretary
Timothy Geithner talks with French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde at the
G20. He wants countries commit to specific trade caps.][1]
US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner talks with French Finance Minister
Christine Lagarde at the G20. He wants countries commit to specific trade
caps. Photo: EPA
By Malcolm Moore in Gyeongju 2:53PM BST 22 Oct 2010
[Comments][2]
With China resolutely refusing to allow the yuan to rise more quickly, the US
shifted the debate on the first day of the G20 summit to address trade
imbalances, the root issue behind exchange rate clashes.
Timothy Geithner, the US Treasury secretary, told G20 members they should
commit to specific trade caps, allowing surpluses and deficits on their
current account, the broadest measure of trade in goods and services, to be no
more than 4pc of gross domestic product.
China's current account surplus was 5.9pc in 2009, having almost halved from
its peak of 10.6pc in 2007. The US, by contrast, had a current account deficit
of 3pc last year.
In a letter to the G20, Mr Geithner called for a "co-operative effort" on the
issue, but said there would have to be "some exceptions" for countries that
imported large quantities of raw materials.
The US plan was seen as a way to side-step a direct confrontation over
currencies. It was backed by the UK, Korea, Australia and Canada, but
immediately opposed by large exporters such as Japan and Germany.
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Rainer Bruederle, the German finance minister, rejected a "command economy"
approach, while Yoshihiko Noda of Japan said "setting numerical targets would
be unrealistic".
India also said the trade caps would be hard to work out, while Russia said
there would be no numerical limits set in the summit's final statement.
Mr Geithner also called for G20 countries to refrain from "either weakening
their currency or preventing the appreciation of an undervalued currency". Mr
Geithner, who also called for the IMF to monitor the G20's commitments, added:
"G20 advanced countries will work to ensure against excessive volatility and
disorderly movement in exchange rates."
Guido Mantega, the Brazilian Finance minister, who was not at the G20 summit,
also revealed the Mr Geithner had telephoned him to reassure him that the US
had no intention of allowing the dollar to weaken further.
"He guaranteed US policy is not to weaken the dollar, on the contrary, it is
to strengthen the dollar," said Mr Mantega. "He said the impact of the Fed
policy was being overestimated. It is difficult, if you weaken the dollar and
want the Chinese to let the yuan appreciate," he added.
Mr Mantega's comments helped move the dollar up against the euro, from $1.3918
to the euro to $1.3895, before weakening later in the day. The dollar also
steadied to 81.28 against the Japanese yen.
However, as the first day of meetings closed, there was little sign that
currency issues would be resolved.
With scepticism growing that the G20 was a focused enough forum to iron out
global economic problems, Lee Myung-bak, the South Korean president who is
hosting the summit, warned ministers that if they did not reach a compromise
"we may not operate bus, train or aeroplane services to take you back home".
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