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Taking a break from the contentious issue of China s currency for a day, US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson met with provincial leaders in western China to highlight the effects of global
warming.
"This is one of the most interesting areas of the world to talk about global warming," Paulson told reporters after touring Qinghai Lake with Qinghai Executive Deputy Governor Li Jincheng and scores of other Chinese officials.
The salt water lake, which sits in the Tibetan plateau and is the largest lake in China, is often referred to as China s "ground zero for climate change".
The Treasury chief said he hopes to illustrate the importance of reducing greenhouse gas
emissions with his visit to the lake, which is shrinking partly as a result of China s booming
economy.
Chinese President Hu Jintao, who is slated to see Paulson on Wednesday, is very interested in
promoting western China and has directed central government funds to the region to protect
the lake and surrounding areas.
Asked if his trip to the region and ensuing publicity that brings to China would help Paulson
navigate the thornier trade arena, Paulson demurred, saying climate change is important "in and of itself".
"I wouldn t make too big a connection between going here and the other issues, other than
that energy efficiency, and the environment (are) all very important," Paulson said.
He is scheduled to meet with Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi tomorrow in Beijing. Paulson is under pressure from lawmakers in Congress to extract promises from China about faster appreciation of its currency.
China unpegged its currency from the US dollar two years ago, and the yuan now trades
within a band.
But Paulson said it s "unrealistic" to expect that his talks with Chinese leaders will erase tensions between the two nations.
"President Hu is going to do exactly what he believes is in the best interests of China," Paulson
said.
Still, he said the conversations are more effective at managing the tension than legislative
threats.
"The rate of appreciation has gone up considerably over the last year and the renminbi (also
known as the yuan) has now appreciated well over 9 pct," Paulson told reporters on the way to
China.
The United States wants China to fully float its yuan, which was pegged to the US dollar at 8.28 yuan per usd and now trades around 7.56 yuan per usd.
US manufacturers complain that an undervalued yuan makes it more difficult to compete with
Chinese producers. Legislation to increase tariffs on Chinese imports if China s currency does not appreciate is making its way through Congress now.
Asked if he would recommend President Bush veto the legislation if it makes it all the way to his desk, Paulson declined to answer. |
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發表於 2007-7-30 21:36:30
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