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US Says Tough China Moves Needed to Counter ‘National Champions’

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(Bloomberg) — The Biden administration is pushing back against Chinese assertions that the US is containing the rise of the world’s second-biggest economy, with a senior diplomat saying more assertive economic measures were necessary to produce “a level playing field.”

In China, “you have ‘national champions’ who get special deals, enterprises that don’t pay rent — get cheap financing, don’t pay taxes, get all sorts of benefits because the Chinese government has decided that they will be the flagships for their industrial policy,” Jose Fernandez, undersecretary of state for economic growth and energy, said in an interview.

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During China’s annual legislative session last month, President Xi Jinping called on the private sector to help overcome “comprehensive containment and suppression by western countries led by the US.” That followed moves by the US to impose stringent export controls on advanced semiconductors, part of a strategy that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan last year said was necessary to “maintain as large of a lead as possible” in key technologies.

Tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to rise over everything from the export controls to sanctions over human rights issues to Wednesday’s planned meeting in California between US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.

The US has long argued that punitive tariffs, export controls and other measures were necessary to counter China’s “unfair” economic practices, moves that have gathered steam since former President Donald Trump started a trade war with Beijing and sought to thwart the operations of Chinese telecom companies like Huawei Technologies Co.

China in return say the US moves have nothing to do with competition.

“In reality, its so-called competition means to contain and suppress China in all respects,” Foreign Minister Qin Gang said last month, in some of his first major comments since taking on the role after serving as China’s ambassador to Washington. “If the United States does not hit the brake but continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrails can prevent derailing, and there will surely be conflict and confrontation.”

Fernandez, who leads the State Department’s economic and energy-related diplomacy, said the US has attempted to engage allies and partners in Asia with policies, including the Indo-Pacific Economic Partnership. The administration has been criticized for not joining an Asia-Pacific regional trade deal that would ensure greater market access.

“I’ll take my chances with our private sector in a level playing field,” Fernandez said. “And you know, we may win some and lose some. But I’ll take my chances. We just have to make sure that we’re all playing by the same rules.”

Fernandez said the US was making a new push on trade because countries told him there was a vacuum and “we needed to make sure that that vacuum was filled or others would fill it for us.” He said the US wanted to create a “new international code of conduct,” both in Asia and in the Western hemisphere.

 

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IMF Boss Says ‘All Eyes’ on US Amid Risks to Global Economy – BNN Bloomberg

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(Bloomberg) — The head of the International Monetary Fund warned the US that the global economy is closely watching interest rates and industrial policies given the potential spillovers from the world’s biggest economy and reserve currency. 

“All eyes are on the US,” Kristalina Georgieva said in an interview on Bloomberg’s Surveillance on Thursday. 

The two biggest issues, she said, are “what is going to happen with inflation and interest rates” and “how is the US going to navigate this world of more intrusive government policies.”

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The sustained strength of the US dollar is “concerning” for other currencies, particularly the lack of clarity on how long that may last. 

“That’s what I hear from countries,” said the leader of the fund, which has about 190 members. “How long will the Fed be stuck with higher interest rates?”

Georgieva was speaking on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank’s spring meetings in Washington, where policymakers have been debating the impacts of Washington and Beijing’s policies and their geopolitical rivalry. 

Read More: A Resilient Global Economy Masks Growing Debt and Inequality

Georgieva said the IMF is optimistic that the conditions will be right for the Federal Reserve to start cutting rates this year. 

“The Fed is not yet prepared, and rightly so, to cut,” she said. “How fast? I don’t think we should gear up for a rapid decline in interest rates.”

The IMF chief also repeated her concerns about China devoting too much capital and labor toward export-oriented manufacturing, causing other countries, including the US, to retaliate with protectionist policies.

China Overcapacity

“If China builds overcapacity and pushes exports that create reciprocity of action, then we are in a world of more fragmentation not less, and that ultimately is not good for China,” Georgieva said.

“What I want to see China doing is get serious about reforms, get serious about demand and consumption,” she added.

A number of countries have recently criticized China for what they see as excessive state subsidies for manufacturers, particularly in clean energy sectors, that might flood global markets with cheap goods and threaten competing firms.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen hammered at the theme during a recent trip to China, repeatedly calling on Beijing to shift its economic policy toward stimulating domestic demand.

Chinese officials have acknowledged the risk of overcapacity in some areas, but have largely portrayed the criticism as overblown and hypocritical, coming from countries that are also ramping up clean energy subsidies.

(Updates with additional Georgieva comments from eighth paragraph.)

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.

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IMF Boss Says 'All Eyes' on US Amid Risks to Global Economy – Financial Post

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The head of the International Monetary Fund warned the US that the global economy is closely watching interest rates and industrial policies given the potential spillovers from the world’s biggest economy and reserve currency.

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(Bloomberg) — The head of the International Monetary Fund warned the US that the global economy is closely watching interest rates and industrial policies given the potential spillovers from the world’s biggest economy and reserve currency. 

“All eyes are on the US,” Kristalina Georgieva said in an interview on Bloomberg’s Surveillance on Thursday. 

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The two biggest issues, she said, are “what is going to happen with inflation and interest rates” and “how is the US going to navigate this world of more intrusive government policies.”

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The sustained strength of the US dollar is “concerning” for other currencies, particularly the lack of clarity on how long that may last. 

“That’s what I hear from countries,” said the leader of the fund, which has about 190 members. “How long will the Fed be stuck with higher interest rates?”

Georgieva was speaking on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank’s spring meetings in Washington, where policymakers have been debating the impacts of Washington and Beijing’s policies and their geopolitical rivalry. 

Read More: A Resilient Global Economy Masks Growing Debt and Inequality

Georgieva said the IMF is optimistic that the conditions will be right for the Federal Reserve to start cutting rates this year. 

“The Fed is not yet prepared, and rightly so, to cut,” she said. “How fast? I don’t think we should gear up for a rapid decline in interest rates.”

The IMF chief also repeated her concerns about China devoting too much capital and labor toward export-oriented manufacturing, causing other countries, including the US, to retaliate with protectionist policies.

China Overcapacity

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“If China builds overcapacity and pushes exports that create reciprocity of action, then we are in a world of more fragmentation not less, and that ultimately is not good for China,” Georgieva said.

“What I want to see China doing is get serious about reforms, get serious about demand and consumption,” she added.

A number of countries have recently criticized China for what they see as excessive state subsidies for manufacturers, particularly in clean energy sectors, that might flood global markets with cheap goods and threaten competing firms.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen hammered at the theme during a recent trip to China, repeatedly calling on Beijing to shift its economic policy toward stimulating domestic demand.

Chinese officials have acknowledged the risk of overcapacity in some areas, but have largely portrayed the criticism as overblown and hypocritical, coming from countries that are also ramping up clean energy subsidies.

(Updates with additional Georgieva comments from eighth paragraph.)

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Poland has EU's second highest emissions in relation to size of economy – Notes From Poland

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Poland has EU’s second highest emissions in relation to size of economy  Notes From Poland

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