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  • U.S has plundered world wealth with dollar

    So say the ChiComs.

    BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States has plundered global wealth by exploiting the dollar's dominance, and the world urgently needs other currencies to take its place, a leading Chinese state newspaper said on Friday.

    The front-page commentary in the overseas edition of the People's Daily said that Asian and European countries should banish the U.S. dollar from their direct trade relations for a start, relying only on their own currencies.
    A meeting between Asian and European leaders, starting on Friday in Beijing, presented the perfect opportunity to begin building a new international financial order, the newspaper said.

    The People's Daily is the official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party. The Chinese-language overseas edition is a small circulation offshoot of the main paper.

    Its pronouncements do not necessarily directly voice leadership views. But the commentary, as well as recent comments, amount to a growing chorus of Chinese disdain for Washington's economic policies and global financial dominance in the wake of the credit crisis.

    "The grim reality has led people, amidst the panic, to realize that the United States has used the U.S. dollar's hegemony to plunder the world's wealth," said the commentator, Shi Jianxun, a professor at Shanghai's Tongji University.

    Shi, who has before been strident in his criticism of the U.S., said other countries had lost vast amounts of wealth because of the financial crisis, while Washington's sole concern had been protecting its own interests.

    "The U.S. dollar is losing people's confidence. The world, acting democratically and lawfully through a global financial organization, urgently needs to change the international monetary system based on U.S. global economic leadership and U.S. dollar dominance," he wrote.

    Shi suggested that all trade between Europe and Asia should be settled in euros, pounds, yen and yuan, though he did not explain how the Chinese currency could play such a role since it is not convertible on the capital account.

    A two-day Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of 27 EU member states and 16 Asian countries was set to open on Friday. Though few analysts expect much in the way of concrete agreements, Shi said it could prove momentous.

    "How can Europe and Asia grasp each other's hands and together confront the once-in-a-century global financial crisis sparked by the U.S.; how can they construct a new equitable and safe international financial order?" he said.

    "The world is waiting for this Asian-European meeting to achieve big results in financial cooperation."

    http://www.reuters.com/article/forex...49N1XX20081024
    Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. -Groucho

  • #2
    Re: U.S has plundered world wealth with dollar

    More colour on this here and here. Some very good observations in the comments section.
    It's Economics vs Thermodynamics. Thermodynamics wins.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: U.S has plundered world wealth with dollar

      Particularly interesting is this comment

      OldChinaHand said...
      This is interesting.

      I am wring this while looking at the brightly lit Changan Avenue in downtown Beijing, which is occasionally blocked by police to make room for the motorcades of those “Asian and European” leaders who are winding down their conference tonight.

      This story is interesting because indeed, while talking to banker friends in Beijing over the last week, they

      a.) All predicted that the Chinese Yuan should get cheaper soon against the dollar
      b.) They predict an end of the unprecedented run-up the dollar had in the last few month against most currencies (except for the yen, but that’s a different story, it’s the unwinding of the carry trade.)

      Yesterday, one EUR bought 1.25 dollar, in July, a Euro fetched 1.60 dollars. In buying power, the EUR is already undervalued. If the EUR continues its drop, not too soon a euro will buy 1.16 USD, the lowest its ever been.

      Now please have a look at the chart at

      “finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=USDCNY=X#chart4:symbol=usdcny=x;range=5y ;compare=eurcny=x+eurusd=x;indicator=volume;chartt ype=candlestick;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale =on;source=undefined”

      A graphic tale of the euro, the dollar, and the remninbi.

      EUR/RMB had been relatively stable over the years, one Euro got you anywhere between 9.5 and 11 RMB, with a solid sideways pattern. After the RMB/USD peg was pulled in 2005, the Euro started getting stronger and stronger against the dollar.

      Happenstance? Possibly.

      As the dollar got weaker, it lost ground against the RMB also. When politically expedient, this was spun as “the Chinese government gradually raising their value of their currency,” but of course this was BS, the dollar had dropped.

      No matter what uninformed or brainwashed people may say, the Chinese government actually liked that their currency was getting stronger. The export market overheated. They took other more drastic measures to stop the overheating export market, such as not refunding parts of the VAT, and discouraging low value add processing trade. Because the decline of the dollar, and because of these measures, the export trade actually started slowing in the beginning of 2008, largely unnoticed by the world, but reflected in the Chinese stock market which since then dropped by more than 60 percent.

      The Chinese government still liked it, because they are everything but stupid and knew that double digit growth rates are unsustainable, that inflation and unrest will follow. A crisis was barely averted in Spring and Summer, when food prices shot up in two digit rates. Pork up 55%, cooking oil up 34%, vegetables up 30%. Until a few months ago, anything that cooled down the overheating economy was welcome.

      Look at that chart again. When the dollar started shooting up beginning in July, the remninbi got more expensive in euro terms. But did the remninbi get cheaper against the dollar, as it should? Barely. The Chinese government pretty much held it against the dollar. A dollar could be bought for 6.82 RMB in July, when the greenback was obscenely cheap against world currencies. Today, a dollar costs 6.84 RMB. That’s no change at all in times when currencies fluctuate in a day as they usually fluctuate in more than a quarter.

      Now it gets really, really interesting. The world economy suddenly tanked while the Chinese government was still pushing the brakes on their own economy. Brakes were put on a car that ran out of gas. Exports are really shooting down (we’ll know how much in a few months.) Factories close. It’s getting ugly.

      What’s a government to do? They have to pull pout the stops. They are already undoing the VAT measures. What’s next? The currency. In Euro terms, Chinese goods became more expensive as the Euro fell and the RMB was held steady against the dollar. Not good for export. The Euro broke out of its 9.5 – 11 RMB range, one Euro now buys only 8.65 RMB. That’s gotta change to improve exports. The dollar, despite it’s meteoric rise against most other currencies, barely has moved against the RMB. That really has to change to improve exports.

      Anyway, the above scenario isn’t mine. It’s been discussed for weeks in Chinese banking and industry circles. If I made mistakes in retelling the tale, don’t be mad. I’m no economist. I tried as much as I could.

      Now the sudden “Salvo against Dollar Hegemony” makes strategic sense. The dollar’s “hegemony that plunders the world’s wealth” is for consumption of the other leaders who are in Beijing tonight. With a rising dollar, the Chinese have all reason in the world to adjust their currency. If the dollar goes to 1.16 against the EUR, the dollar could also bring 8 RMB. When this happens, exports will go up, China could repatriate their US bonds they bought for 6.80 to the dollar, and get 8 plus interest. Then, as Chinese money is pulled out of the dollar, and as the USA cranks up the printing presses to finance wars and bailouts, the dollar will go in a tailspin. American won’t complain, it will be needed to make American exports cheap. The money the Chinese dumped into America when the dollar was high was pulled out just in time. Case closed.

      Nothing appears at the front page of People’s Daily without the government’s say so. Especially when dealing with sensitive matter such as exchange rates. For that last two years, China did everything not to wake up the American bear, everything to avoid quotas, tariffs, import bans. Now, America is rattled. The world is even more rattled. China coming to the defense of “the world” ( sans U.S.) , urging that Europe and Asia should use their own currencies instead of the dollar for trade (has happened anyway to a large degree) will sit well with the other nations. A professor of Tongji University wouldn’t have dared to say that “the United States has used the U.S. dollar's hegemony to plunder the world's wealth." Something fundamental has changed.

      We’ll see it soon. If you have dollars and need yuan, keep your dollars. They will buy more yuan soon. If you have dollars and need Euros, watch the greenback with an itchy trigger finger.
      It's Economics vs Thermodynamics. Thermodynamics wins.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: U.S has plundered world wealth with dollar

        Full text of statement of the Seventh Asia-Europe Meeting on the Int'l Financial Situation

        www.asem7.cn 2008-10-24 23:26:39
        Following is the full text of the Statement of the Seventh Asia-Europe Meeting on the International Financial Situation issued in Beijing Friday.

        Statement of the Seventh Asia-Europe Meeting on the International Financial Situation

        Beijing, 24 October 2008

        1. Leaders attending the Seventh Asia-Europe Meeting had an in-depth discussion on the current international economic and financial situation and its trend of development. They expressed concern over the impact of the spreading international financial crisis on the global economy and in particular, the severe challenges it poses to financial stability and economic development of countries in Asia and Europe.

        2. Leaders believed that authorities of all countries should demonstrate vision and resolution and take firm, decisive and effective measures in a responsible and timely manner to rise to the challenge of the financial crisis. Leaders expressed full confidence that the crisis could be overcome through such concerted efforts.

        3. Leaders welcomed the measures adopted by countries and organizations to ensure the smooth running of the financial system and real economy. They called on the international community to continue to strengthen coordination and cooperation and take effective and available economic and financial measures in a comprehensive way to restore market confidence, stabilize global financial markets and promote global economic growth.

        4. Leaders agreed that IMF should play a critical role in assisting countries seriously affected by the crisis, upon their request.

        5. Leaders were of the view that to resolve the financial crisis it is imperative to handle properly the relationship between financial innovation and regulation and to maintain sound macroeconomic policy. They recognized the need to improve the supervision and regulation of all financial actors, in particular their accountability.

        6. Leaders called on all countries to pursue responsible and sound monetary, fiscal and financial regulatory policies, enhance transparency, inclusiveness, strengthen oversight, and improve crisis management mechanisms so as to maintain their own economic development and the stability of the financial markets. They agreed that the necessary and timely measures should be taken to preserve the stability of the financial system.

        7. Leaders pledged to undertake effective and comprehensive reform of the international monetary and financial systems. They agreed to take quickly appropriate initiatives in this respect, in consultation with all stakeholders and the relevant international financial institutions. The International Monetary Fund and other international financial institutions should bring into play their mandated role in the international financial system, to help stabilize the international financial situation.

        8. Leaders supported the convening of an international summit on 15 November in Washington D.C. to address the current crisis and principles of reform of the international financial system as well as long-term stability and development of the world economy.

        9. Leaders agreed to make full use of ASEM and other cooperation mechanisms to enhance information sharing, policy exchange, and pragmatic cooperation on supervision and management in the financial sector and effectively monitor, prevent and respond to financial risks to ensure sustained, stable and sound economic growth.
        It's Economics vs Thermodynamics. Thermodynamics wins.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: U.S has plundered world wealth with dollar

          In particular this reply is interesting

          OldChinaHand said...
          This is interesting.

          I am wring this while looking at the brightly lit Changan Avenue in downtown Beijing, which is occasionally blocked by police to make room for the motorcades of those “Asian and European” leaders who are winding down their conference tonight.

          This story is interesting because indeed, while talking to banker friends in Beijing over the last week, they

          a.) All predicted that the Chinese Yuan should get cheaper soon against the dollar
          b.) They predict an end of the unprecedented run-up the dollar had in the last few month against most currencies (except for the yen, but that’s a different story, it’s the unwinding of the carry trade.)

          Yesterday, one EUR bought 1.25 dollar, in July, a Euro fetched 1.60 dollars. In buying power, the EUR is already undervalued. If the EUR continues its drop, not too soon a euro will buy 1.16 USD, the lowest its ever been.

          Now please have a look at the chart at

          “finance.yahoo.com/echarts?s=USDCNY=X#chart4:symbol=usdcny=x;range=5y ;compare=eurcny=x+eurusd=x;indicator=volume;chartt ype=candlestick;crosshair=on;ohlcvalues=0;logscale =on;source=undefined”

          A graphic tale of the euro, the dollar, and the remninbi.

          EUR/RMB had been relatively stable over the years, one Euro got you anywhere between 9.5 and 11 RMB, with a solid sideways pattern. After the RMB/USD peg was pulled in 2005, the Euro started getting stronger and stronger against the dollar.

          Happenstance? Possibly.

          As the dollar got weaker, it lost ground against the RMB also. When politically expedient, this was spun as “the Chinese government gradually raising their value of their currency,” but of course this was BS, the dollar had dropped.

          No matter what uninformed or brainwashed people may say, the Chinese government actually liked that their currency was getting stronger. The export market overheated. They took other more drastic measures to stop the overheating export market, such as not refunding parts of the VAT, and discouraging low value add processing trade. Because the decline of the dollar, and because of these measures, the export trade actually started slowing in the beginning of 2008, largely unnoticed by the world, but reflected in the Chinese stock market which since then dropped by more than 60 percent.

          The Chinese government still liked it, because they are everything but stupid and knew that double digit growth rates are unsustainable, that inflation and unrest will follow. A crisis was barely averted in Spring and Summer, when food prices shot up in two digit rates. Pork up 55%, cooking oil up 34%, vegetables up 30%. Until a few months ago, anything that cooled down the overheating economy was welcome.

          Look at that chart again. When the dollar started shooting up beginning in July, the remninbi got more expensive in euro terms. But did the remninbi get cheaper against the dollar, as it should? Barely. The Chinese government pretty much held it against the dollar. A dollar could be bought for 6.82 RMB in July, when the greenback was obscenely cheap against world currencies. Today, a dollar costs 6.84 RMB. That’s no change at all in times when currencies fluctuate in a day as they usually fluctuate in more than a quarter.

          Now it gets really, really interesting. The world economy suddenly tanked while the Chinese government was still pushing the brakes on their own economy. Brakes were put on a car that ran out of gas. Exports are really shooting down (we’ll know how much in a few months.) Factories close. It’s getting ugly.

          What’s a government to do? They have to pull pout the stops. They are already undoing the VAT measures. What’s next? The currency. In Euro terms, Chinese goods became more expensive as the Euro fell and the RMB was held steady against the dollar. Not good for export. The Euro broke out of its 9.5 – 11 RMB range, one Euro now buys only 8.65 RMB. That’s gotta change to improve exports. The dollar, despite it’s meteoric rise against most other currencies, barely has moved against the RMB. That really has to change to improve exports.

          Anyway, the above scenario isn’t mine. It’s been discussed for weeks in Chinese banking and industry circles. If I made mistakes in retelling the tale, don’t be mad. I’m no economist. I tried as much as I could.

          Now the sudden “Salvo against Dollar Hegemony” makes strategic sense. The dollar’s “hegemony that plunders the world’s wealth” is for consumption of the other leaders who are in Beijing tonight. With a rising dollar, the Chinese have all reason in the world to adjust their currency. If the dollar goes to 1.16 against the EUR, the dollar could also bring 8 RMB. When this happens, exports will go up, China could repatriate their US bonds they bought for 6.80 to the dollar, and get 8 plus interest. Then, as Chinese money is pulled out of the dollar, and as the USA cranks up the printing presses to finance wars and bailouts, the dollar will go in a tailspin. American won’t complain, it will be needed to make American exports cheap. The money the Chinese dumped into America when the dollar was high was pulled out just in time. Case closed.

          Nothing appears at the front page of People’s Daily without the government’s say so. Especially when dealing with sensitive matter such as exchange rates. For that last two years, China did everything not to wake up the American bear, everything to avoid quotas, tariffs, import bans. Now, America is rattled. The world is even more rattled. China coming to the defense of “the world” ( sans U.S.) , urging that Europe and Asia should use their own currencies instead of the dollar for trade (has happened anyway to a large degree) will sit well with the other nations. A professor of Tongji University wouldn’t have dared to say that “the United States has used the U.S. dollar's hegemony to plunder the world's wealth." Something fundamental has changed.

          We’ll see it soon. If you have dollars and need yuan, keep your dollars. They will buy more yuan soon. If you have dollars and need Euros, watch the greenback with an itchy trigger finger.
          It's Economics vs Thermodynamics. Thermodynamics wins.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: U.S has plundered world wealth with dollar

            Originally posted by *T* View Post
            More colour on this here and here. Some very good observations in the comments section.
            Thanks for the links. Very thoughtful discussion going on there.
            Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. -Groucho

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: U.S has plundered world wealth with dollar

              Originally posted by Master Shake View Post
              So say the ChiComs.

              BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States has plundered global wealth by exploiting the dollar's dominance, and the world urgently needs other currencies to take its place, a leading Chinese state newspaper said on Friday.

              The front-page commentary in the overseas edition of the People's Daily said that Asian and European countries should banish the U.S. dollar from their direct trade relations for a start, relying only on their own currencies.
              A meeting between Asian and European leaders, starting on Friday in Beijing, presented the perfect opportunity to begin building a new international financial order, the newspaper said.

              The People's Daily is the official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party. The Chinese-language overseas edition is a small circulation offshoot of the main paper.

              Its pronouncements do not necessarily directly voice leadership views. But the commentary, as well as recent comments, amount to a growing chorus of Chinese disdain for Washington's economic policies and global financial dominance in the wake of the credit crisis.

              "The grim reality has led people, amidst the panic, to realize that the United States has used the U.S. dollar's hegemony to plunder the world's wealth," said the commentator, Shi Jianxun, a professor at Shanghai's Tongji University.

              Shi, who has before been strident in his criticism of the U.S., said other countries had lost vast amounts of wealth because of the financial crisis, while Washington's sole concern had been protecting its own interests.

              "The U.S. dollar is losing people's confidence. The world, acting democratically and lawfully through a global financial organization, urgently needs to change the international monetary system based on U.S. global economic leadership and U.S. dollar dominance," he wrote.

              Shi suggested that all trade between Europe and Asia should be settled in euros, pounds, yen and yuan, though he did not explain how the Chinese currency could play such a role since it is not convertible on the capital account.

              A two-day Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of 27 EU member states and 16 Asian countries was set to open on Friday. Though few analysts expect much in the way of concrete agreements, Shi said it could prove momentous.

              "How can Europe and Asia grasp each other's hands and together confront the once-in-a-century global financial crisis sparked by the U.S.; how can they construct a new equitable and safe international financial order?" he said.

              "The world is waiting for this Asian-European meeting to achieve big results in financial cooperation."

              http://www.reuters.com/article/forex...49N1XX20081024
              Unprecedented! That's how we can describe the incredible rise (not to mention the rate of the rise) of the US Dollar VS resource based currencies. Let's take Canada for example. Just last week the WMF rated Canada's banks as the "most sound banking system in the World" (not one bank bailout in the whole country). What was the consequence? The largest fall I have ever seen in the value of the Canadian dollar! Man, the currency markets are turned upside down! They better correct soon or there will be severe consequences for the US economy. How in the world will the US ever compete on the international market. Last October copper sold for $3.50 a lb. today it's $1.70! How many US mines can stay open with a price reduction like that! At least the Canadian mines are getting $2.17 Cdn. You get the picture. US exports are going down, way, way down. As if they didn't already have a terrible trade balance. If this keeps up the US will miss the recession all together because they are going right into a depression! They are actually pricing themselves right out the world export market. Will the currencies start trading like the should? Will currency markets start reflecting the incredible debt pegged to the US dollar or will the largest economy suffer the hardest, steepest fall ever! I don't think it's going to take long to find out!
              Last edited by aljack; October 25, 2008, 07:35 PM.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: U.S has plundered world wealth with dollar

                Seems like the Chinese might start getting rid of its dollars... that meteoric rise of the dollar might go the other way...

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: U.S has plundered world wealth with dollar

                  Isn't it interesting that commentary in the Chinese press is more incisive, relevant, and meaningful than commentary in the U.S. media? Where in the U.S. media would they run a story like this: "The U.S. has plundered the world's wealth with its dollar policy."?

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: U.S has plundered world wealth with dollar

                    As I've said before - he who has the strongest currency, loses.

                    China's little experiment with a stronger yuan to offset commodity import costs is now over.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: U.S has plundered world wealth with dollar

                      Originally posted by Starving Steve View Post
                      Isn't it interesting that commentary in the Chinese press is more incisive, relevant, and meaningful than commentary in the U.S. media? Where in the U.S. media would they run a story like this: "The U.S. has plundered the world's wealth with its dollar policy."?
                      No, the corollary would be the US media saying "China has dwindled it's own wealth with its yuan policy."

                      Much has been made in the US media over the artificial rmb/usd peg.

                      While I'm not confident that Bloomberg and Reuters have had it right, they have definitely been on the story.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: U.S has plundered world wealth with dollar

                        Originally posted by c1ue View Post
                        As I've said before - he who has the strongest currency, loses.

                        China's little experiment with a stronger yuan to offset commodity import costs is now over.

                        You said strongest. i agree, but weakest also lose.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: U.S has plundered world wealth with dollar

                          Touchring,

                          You are correct. Those nations such as supped with the Devil (Soros) are now learning the error of their ways.

                          A complete currency collapse is of course bad - doubly so when your debts are denominated in other currencies.

                          Comment

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