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Why US, China must listen to each other

By George Soros | The Capital Times

George Soros File photo/WireImage/Bobby Bank/US

In 2010, economic conflict between the United States and China became one of the most worrying global developments. The US pressed China to revalue the renminbi, while China blamed the US policy of “quantitative easing” for currency market turmoil. The two sides are talking past each other, though both are making valid points.

The global imbalances that were at the root at the Crash of 2008 have not been corrected — indeed, some have grown larger. The US still consumes more than it produces, running a chronic trade deficit. Consumption remains at nearly 70 percent of GDP, compared to an unsustainably low 35.6 percent of GDP in China. US households must save more.

The US economy needs higher productivity, but US corporations, which are operating very profitably, are accumulating cash instead of investing it. In China, by contrast, bank lending needs to be reined in, but regulatory efforts have been hindered by off-balance-sheet financing and the development of an informal quasi-banking sector. The economy is showing signs of overheating.

These imbalances could be reduced by the US using fiscal rather than monetary stimulus, and China allowing the renminbi to appreciate in an orderly manner. But domestic politics in both countries stand in the way.

In the US, the Republicans were determined to extend the Bush tax cuts in their entirety. This leaves little room for fiscal stimulus, while the tax cut is more likely to be saved than invested. That is why the Fed had to resort to quantitative easing, even though it tends to stimulate asset bubbles rather than productive investments.

China interprets quantitative easing as a plot to devalue the dollar and force a revaluation of the renminbi. The US, in turn, cannot understand why China should be so reluctant to allow the renminbi to appreciate, as doing so would help to dampen inflationary pressures.

Maintaining an undervalued currency has been the key to China’s success. It is much more efficient than taxation as a means of skimming a significant share of payments for Chinese exports, which accrue as currency reserves and can be used at the central government’s discretion.

China would prefer to improve the trade balance through removal of trade barriers rather than exchange-rate adjustment, because it is reluctant to put additional strain on its export industries and eager to gain access to American technology.

The US maintains restrictions on high-tech exports to China because of the latter’s lack of respect for intellectual property rights. The US prefers higher Chinese import prices to help relieve deflationary pressures — which would also eliminate the need for quantitative easing, removing a source of Chinese complaints.

As things stand now, each country is pursuing policies that do not help the other and are suboptimal for their own economies. The entire global economy would benefit if both sides listened to each other and coordinated their economic policies.

But the opposite is happening. The conflict in economic policy is spreading to the geopolitical sphere. First, China asserted a “core interest” in the South China Sea. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton countered that America also has “interests” in this area, bringing the two countries to loggerheads over a critically important maritime region.

Then China became embroiled with Japan in a dispute over the Diaoyu or Senkaku Islands. Few Westerners appreciate how seriously China takes this issue. These uninhabited rocks are as important as Taiwan or Tibet for the official “one China doctrine.” China greatly resented it when the US endorsed the Japanese position.

But macroeconomic policy is not the only area that would benefit from better understanding between the two countries.

Consider Afghanistan. The country is rich in mineral resources that China needs, but it is the US that spends $10 billion a month occupying a country whose annual GDP is only $15 billion. The US is likely to reduce its presence before Afghanistan is pacified and the mineral resources developed. Since China is the obvious market for these minerals, it would make sense for China to encourage continued American engagement by making a significant contribution to the cost of training the Afghan army.

When President Barack Obama visited China in November, he acknowledged China’s rapid rise and offered a partnership in maintaining and improving the world order. But the Chinese declined, explaining that China is a developing country that can hardly meet its own people’s needs.

That rift is unfortunate, because improvement in Chinese living standards ought to go hand-in-hand with Chinese participation in building a better world order. Only if China pays closer attention to how it is perceived and accepted by the rest of the world can it continue to rise in a peaceful manner.

China’s leadership knows that it must fulfill its own people’s minimum expectations in order to maintain internal stability; now it must learn to make itself acceptable to the rest of the world in order to preserve external stability. That means becoming a more open society and playing a more active role in maintaining a peaceful and stable world order.

China ought to regard this not as a burdensome necessity, but as an inspiration to greatness. The best periods in Chinese history were those in which the country was most open both internally and toward the outside world.

By contrast, when it comes to military might, China will not be a match for the US for some time to come. China is devoting an increasing proportion of its resources to the military at the expense of the general population. Worried neighbours are likely to seek protection under the wings of the American eagle, reinforcing the US military budget. Unless a deliberate effort is made by both sides to reach a better understanding, the world faces a turbulent time in 2011 and beyond.

Copyright © 2011 Madison.com

Published in The Capital Times