Any hasty decision to float the yuan could weaken the Chinese
banking system and threaten the world economy, the chairman of the
US Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan has warned.
Mr Greenspan said in a letter to the US Senate that flotation of
the yuan, a move wanted by many in the US, could cause a heavy flow
of capital out of China, which would in turn undermine Chinese
banks and destabilize the world economy.
"Many in China fear that removal of capital controls that
restrict the ability of domestic investors to invest abroad and to
sell or to purchase foreign currency, which is a necessary step to
allow a currency to float freely, could cause an outflow of
deposits from Chinese banks, destabilizing the system," he said in
the letter.
Financial instability in a big emergent economy, such as the
Chinese economy, "would present a risk to the global economic
outlook," he warned.
The letter, reported on the Wall Street Journal website on March
2, was published by US Senate Banking Committee chairman Richard
Shelby, who had asked Mr Greenspan to expand on his views on the
yuan.
The White House said it still wants China to move to allow its
currency's value to be determined by financial markets despite Mr
Greenspan's reservations about it, a spokesman said.
"Our policy remains the same. Our policy is very well known,"
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said in response to the Fed
chairman's warning.
U.S. President George W Bush told Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in
December that the market should determine the yuan's value but the
White House acknowledged at the time the transition would be a
complex process.
The Bush administration believes the change would help boost
exports for US manufacturers.
Many US companies want the yuan to be floated, arguing that the
Chinese authorities have kept it artificially cheap in order to
maintain a competitive advantage for Chinese exports.
With a US presidential election looming, outsourcing by US
companies to manufacturers in China is a politically sensitive
issue, as is the general problem of the US balance of payments
deficit.
Mr Shelby had asked Mr Greenspan to elaborate on a speech he had
made in December, arguing that the Chinese policy of pegging the
yuan against the dollar risked causing inflation and eventually a
recession in China.
Mr Greenspan said in his reply that China, before floating the
yuan, had to tighten regulation of the banking system and its
accounting practices and also had to provide them with government
capital so that they had reserves for bad loans.
"More important, however, are steps...that create the financial
discipline and incentives that are a crucial part of a viable
credit system.
"Banks need to improve their lending decisions, internal
controls, and risk management systems," he said.
Mr Greenspan said the Chinese government "seems to be moving to
strengthen their banking system."
(China Daily March 4, 2004)