Re: ECONOMICS: Chinese propping up U.S. Government?

From: Randy S (cryofan@mylinuxisp.com)
Date: Wed Sep 03 2003 - 09:15:19 MDT

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    Adrian Tymes <wingcat@pacbell.net> said:

    > --- "Robert J. Bradbury" <bradbury@aeiveos.com> wrote:
    > > Ok, here is an idea for you, based on:
    > >
    > >
    > http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/02/business/02CHIN.html?hp=&pagewanted=printry 
    > >
    > > (which you have to get in the next few days for
    > > "free")
    > >
    > > China is on track to purchase ~$80 billion of U.S.
    > > government securities
    > > this year. That is about 20% of the current budget
    > > deficit.
    > >
    > > Bottom line (perhaps) -- we can't touch them and
    > > they can't touch us
    > > (or all hell breaks loose). Interesting -- it would
    > > seem that the
    > > Russians are side-lined from 'balance of power'
    > > debates -- at least
    > > from an economic perspective.
    >
    > Cute. Instead of nuclear Mutually Assured
    > Destruction, we're playing with financial Mutually
    > Assured Destruction. One wonders if this is perhaps
    > more dangerous, because a short-sighted leader on
    > either side could see that immediate war would not
    > have consequences until at least the next budgetary
    > cycle, which could be beyond the present leader's term
    > in office - especially on the US's side. (See the
    > present administration's troubles in that regard.)
    > But, that aside, it is far safer for those not in
    > power.
    >

    It seems as if CorpGovMedia wants to keep this fact out of the public eye.
    The fact that China apparently answered Snow's urging to float the yuan with
    a threat to stop buying treasuries was only reported in place that I saw. If
    you search google news for "China"+"float"+"currency", you get 161 hits, but
    only 2 if you add "treasuries", you only get a couple of hits. But I am
    quite sure that Chinese officials have threatened to stop buying American
    treasuries if Snow pressures them further.

    -- 
    --------------
    -Randy
    


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