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Viewing cable 07BEIJING5317, REASSURANCE ON FREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07BEIJING5317 2007-08-14 07:37 2011-08-23 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Beijing
VZCZCXRO9432
OO RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #5317/01 2260737
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 140737Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0749
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 005317 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR EAP/CM AND EB/OMA 
TREASURY FOR OASIA/DOHNER 
USDOC FOR 4420 
STATE PLEASE PASS USTR FOR STRATFORD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EFI PREL EINV CH
SUBJECT: REASSURANCE ON FREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
. (SBU) Beijing-based economist He Fan told EconMinCouns and 
FinMinCouns that an August 8 article published in the London Daily 
Telegraph quoted him out of context when it suggested that he 
believed China had the power to set off a U.S. dollar (USD) collapse 
in response to U.S. actions on trade and currency issues.  Mr. He 
was actually never interviewed by the Telegraph, and the paper 
appears to have selectively drawn words from an op-ed he published 
in Chinese media the previous day but had written months earlier. 
Meanwhile, on August 12, the state-controlled Xinhua news agency 
prominently featured comments of an unidentified central bank 
official emphasizing the importance of USD assets in China's foreign 
exchange reserves.  END SUMMARY 
 
UK PAPER HIGHLIGHTS CHINESE "THREATS" AGAINST USD... 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
2. (SBU) On August 8, the London Daily Telegraph reported that the 
"the Chinese Government has begun a concerted campaign of economic 
threats against the United States, hinting that it may liquidate its 
vast holding of U.S. Treasury bonds if Washington imposes trade 
sanctions to force a RMB revaluation."  Two Chinese economists were 
quoted in the article as suggesting that Beijing would use its 
foreign currency reserves as a "political weapon to counter pressure 
from the U.S. Congress."  The piece in the Telegraph was widely 
reflected in other media reporting and commentary throughout Europe, 
Asia, and the United States.  More than 550,000 online readers 
linked to the article, according to a count published on August 9 by 
the newspaper.  (The article can be found online at: http:// www. 
telegraph.co.uk/money/main. 
jhtml?xml=/money/2007/08/07/bcnchina107a.xml) 
 
...DRAWING SELECTIVELY FROM OP-ED IN CHINA DAILY 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
3. (SBU) The Daily Telegraph article took out of context the views 
of a Beijing-based economist, portraying him as suggesting that 
China had the power to set off a USD collapse if it chose to do so. 
The economist, He Fan, who is the Assistant Director of Chinese 
Academy of Social Sciences Institute of World Economics and 
Politics, had on August 7 published an op-ed in the state-controlled 
China Daily.  Mr. He's piece does not advocate liquidation of 
China's USD reserves.  Rather, Mr. He argues for a slow and gradual 
appreciation of the RMB in order to give China greater flexibility 
in carrying out monetary policy and encourage industrial 
restructuring.  Mr. He further suggests that the U.S. has more to 
gain if China maintains the RMB at a stable level, since China holds 
a considerable portion of its reserves in the form of U.S. Treasury 
bonds and that a more flexible exchange rate could require China to 
sell some of its holdings, causing the U.S. dollar to depreciate 
further.  (Comment: this is not necessarily true, as less foreign 
exchange intervention might only lead to fewer purchases, but not 
net sales of U.S. fixed income assets.  End Comment) He also asserts 
that exchange rate reform is only one part of a package of policy 
reforms needed to upgrade China's industry structure.  Mr. He 
concludes by warning against politicizing the exchange rate issue, 
suggesting this could slow reform.  (Mr. He's op-ed is available at: 
http:// www .chinadaily. com.cn/cndy/ 
2007-08/07/content_5448889.htm) 
 
ECONOMIST SAYS HE WAS QUOTED OUT OF CONTEXT 
------------------------------------------- 
 
4. (SBU) Speaking to Emboffs on August 13, Mr. He stated that even 
though the op-ed ran recently, he actually drafted it several months 
ago.  He said he was never interviewed by the Daily Telegraph and 
could not understand why a British paper had characterized his views 
as threatening to the United States.  Mr. He insisted that not a 
single Chinese Government official has ever threatened to use 
foreign exchange reserves as a political weapon, and that he had 
never proposed this.  Moreover, while other countries are reducing 
the share of their official reserves in USD holdings, China 
continues to maintain the majority of its foreign exchange reserves 
in USD assets.  Mr. He said that to his knowledge, there are no 
Chinese academics who believe China should leverage its foreign 
exchange reserves to counter contemplated U.S. Congressional action 
on trade and currency.  In Mr. He's view, the U.S. should "maintain 
a lower profile" on controversial issues, and particularly on 
China's exchange policy, since public pressure is unhelpful to 
Chinese officials who at the same time have to respond to growing 
domestic anxiety about economic challenges. 
 
XINHUA SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT 
 
BEIJING 00005317  002 OF 002 
 
 
------------------------------- 
 
5. (SBU) On August 13, Xinhua News reported  statements from a 
People's Bank of China (PBOC) official downplaying rumors of 
Beijing's threat to sell off its USD reserves and reiterating 
China's support for close economic and trade relations with the U.S. 
 The unnamed official stated that "the U.S. financial market is huge 
and has high liquidity, and dollar assets, including U.S. government 
bonds, are an important component of China's foreign exchange 
reserves investment."  Reciting previously stated policy, the 
official said Beijing's priorities in managing its $1.33 trillion in 
foreign currency reserves include "safety, liquidity, and investment 
returns."  The PBOC official further stated, "In deciding the 
portfolio of the currency assets structure, [we] have consistently 
stuck to a long-term, strategic policy, taking into consideration 
multiple factors such as China's foreign economic development, 
evolution of the international monetary system, as well as changes 
in the international capital and foreign exchange markets."  (The 
Xinhua report can be found at: http://www. chinadaily.com.cn/china/ 
2007-08/13/content_6023038.htm) 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
6. (SBU) Comment:  The original op-ed piece, Xinhua's rapid 
clarification, and Mr. He's remarks echo previous assurances by 
State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE), PBOC, and MOF 
officials that any changes in the composition of China's reserves 
would be done in a way that safeguards orderly financial markets, 
and particularly U.S. fixed income markets. In early August, PBOC 
Deputy Governor Hu Xiao Lian told visiting Treasury Under Secretary 
McCormick that comments by Chinese economist Xiao Bin, who in 
addition to Mr. He was a quoted in the Telegraph article, do not 
reflect government policies. Lou Ji Wei, Deputy Secretary of the 
State Council and Head of the State Investment Corporation, also 
assured visiting Treasury Deputy Secretary Kimmitt in June, that 
China will maintain a responsible approach to foreign reserves 
management. End Comment. 
 
RANDT