Forum Views () 
Forum Replies ()  
 
 
Read more with google mobile :
Concerns at US trade proposal as APEC meets  
 
 
 
 
 
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
  
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Weekend Edition
 
 
 
Australia
China
India
 Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Concerns at US trade proposal as APEC meets
 
 
  
 
 AFP - Saturday, November  6
 
 
Send
 
IM Story
 
Print
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
KYOTO, Japan, Nov 5, 2010 (AFP) – Asian countries are set to express concern at next week's G20 summit in South Korea about a US proposal for targets to rein in global trade imbalances, a plan China rejected on Friday.
 
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members will discuss the issue at a meeting of finance officials of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Kyoto this weekend, Thailand's finance minister said Friday.
 
"We're concerned that it could encourage trade protectionism," Korn Chatikavanij said of the plan suggested by the United States last month that G20 members restrict current account surpluses or deficits to four percent of GDP. "We'd like a coordinated agreement," he added.
 
G20 leaders meet at a summit in South Korea next Thursday and Friday.
 
A member of one ASEAN delegation told Dow Jones Newswires that a group statement would also be discussed during a meeting with US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner this weekend in Kyoto.
 
China on Friday rejected the US proposal, which would force China, among others, to rein in its massive trade surplus.
 
Targeting China's hefty current account surplus would be an indirect way for Washington to cajole Beijing into relaxing its grip on the yuan and allowing the currency to appreciate -- a move demanded by key trading partners.
 
The president of the Asian Development Bank urged Beijing to make the yuan more flexible, saying it would be good for the Chinese economy.
 
Haruhiko Kuroda also lent his support to the US trade proposal but said it needed modifying.
 
"I think some kind of benchmark may be useful for reducing global imbalances in the medium term," Kuroda said.
 
Political tensions have been high as trading nations caught in the US-China crossfire look to protect their export-driven growth and jostle for a trade advantage.
 
Asian nations cite super-loose US monetary policy as a factor roiling currency markets, hammering the dollar and prompting a wave of speculative money to pour into Asia and drive up regional currencies.
 
Pressure on the greenback has increased after the US Federal Reserve this week announced further easing measures to pump money into the US economy.
 
On Friday Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai, China's top negotiator on G20 issues, called on the Fed to explain its decision to spend 600 billion dollars buying government bonds to kickstart the recovery.
 
The Fed's move, which follows a similar quantitative easing worth about 1.5 trillion dollars during the crisis, has stoked fears of a deluge of speculative cash into emerging markets by players seeking higher non-dollar returns.
 
Finance officials from the 21-member APEC trade forum will discuss the contentious issue of rising Asian currencies on Saturday, following an October G20 pledge to "refrain from competitive devaluation", officials said.
 
Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, speaking in Tokyo before leaving for meetings in Kyoto, western Japan, said that "the issue of currencies may come up as we discuss growth strategy in the region".
 
But officials also said there was little expectation that the weekend APEC session would help move the debate forward, given the forum's more recognised role as a place for debate compared to the Group of 20 nations.
 
"The G20 really is the main forum for global policy coordination," said ADB's Kuroda.
 
A draft of the APEC finance ministers' communique, to be finalised Saturday, will call for deficit and surplus economies to take steps to keep the global economy growing, but will dodge the currency issue, Dow Jones Newswires said.
 
APEC was launched in 1989 to promote trade and strengthen economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, which now accounts for more than half the world's economic output and 40 percent of its population.
 
The group includes Australia, China, Japan, Peru, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, the United States, and seven members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
Recommend
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Send
 
IM Story
 
Print
 
 
 
 
 
 
Related Articles
 
 
Suicide attack at Pakistan mosque kills 61 AFP -  57 minutes ago
 
Merapi death toll rises after fresh eruption AFP - 1 hour 13 minutes ago
 
Indonesian soldiers stand trial over torture video AFP - 1 hour 37 minutes ago
 
Mosque bombing in Pakistan kills at least 50 Reuters - Saturday, November  6
 
Concerns at US trade proposal as APEC meets AFP - Saturday, November  6
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
News Search
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Top Stories
 
 
 
 
US creates 151,000 jobs in October
RBS bank plunges back into loss
RBS plunges into red with third quarter loss
World's oldest axe found in Australia
NASA comet fly-by yields rare images from deep space
 
 
 
 More Top Stories »
 
 
 
ADVERTISEMENT
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
Most Popular
 
 
 
 
Most Viewed
 
Most Recommended
 
 
 
 
Be fit, have fewer colds: study
 
Toddler survives seven-floor fall in France
 
Rolls-Royce recommends engine checks after A380 incident
 
NASA comet fly-by yields rare images from deep space
 
Germany unveils new 'psychic' octopus -- and he's French
 
 
 More Most Viewed »
 
 
 
 
 
Alcohol more harmful than heroin, crack cocaine: study
 
Toddler survives seven-floor fall in France
 
Spectacular unknown species found in Amazon
 
Iranian chocolate thief 'to have hand chopped off'
 
Ancient galaxy is more than 13 billion light years away
 
 
 More Most Recommended »
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
 
 
 
 
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
 
 
Stars and latest movies
 
 
Best travel destinations
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
More on Yahoo! News
 
 
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Weekend Edition
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
 
Also on Yahoo!
 
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
 
Site Highlights
 
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Entertainment
Photos
Yahoo! News Network 
 
 
 
 Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy |
Community |
Intellectual Property Rights Policy |
Help
    
  
  
   
 
 
    
   
 
Other News on Friday,  5 November 2010 WikiLeaks founder tells US to open up on Iraq war  
Rolls-Royce recommends engine checks after A380 incident  
Israel's Barak stung by "idiot" insult  
US-TECH Summary  
Deutsche Telekom results underscore iPhone effect  
Palestinians to give U.S. peace effort more time
|  
NATO: Service member killed in eastern Afghanistan  
Greek police intercept French embassy parcel bomb  
Samsung sees selling 40 million smartphones in 2011: report  
Atom smasher ventures deeper into 'new frontier'  
Pakistan to walk tightrope on Afghan peace  
ECB, Britain hold rates steady as Fed pumps up funds  
Haiti evacuation effort stalls as storm closes in
|  
Few Americans using location-based services: Pew study  
Qaeda's Zawahri urges revenge over jailed scientist
|  
Gunman Opens Fire in Palm Bay Hospital  
Serbian leader apologises at Croatia massacre site  
EU wants to give people power to vanish from Internet  
Florida's Governor-Elect Unveils Transition Team  
Norway best for the good life: UN report  
U.S. Worker Productivity Increases  
China's Hu signs deals, discusses G20 with Sarkozy
|  
Sri Lanka to publish pictures of accused porn actors  
Study: Lung Cancer Deaths Reduced If At Risk Screened By CT  
Weather delays Discovery space shuttle launch: NASA  
Well-known Vietnam blog hacked: founder  
Food Network Launches New Foodie App  
Privacy Group Sues To Stop Use Of Airport Body Scanners  
Syria Internet law threatens online freedom  
Minnesota Mom Ordered to Pay $1.5M for Illegally Downloading 24 Songs  
Jambox a boombox for the smart gadget era  
U.S.-Mexico Drug Tunnel Found, 40 Tons Of Marijuana Seized  
Dane Cook To Release Greatest Hits Double Disc "I Did My Best"  
Bomb defused with minutes to spare  
FDA Confirms Listeria In Texas Celery Plant  
China, France sign major energy, aviation deals  
US embassy accused of spying in Norway, Oslo demands answers  
Oracle CEO Ellison to testify Monday in SAP trial  
Europe tests cyber defences against hackers  
Al-Qaeda bomb in British airport was 'minutes from blast'  
Samsung sees selling 40 million smartphones in 2011: report  
Special Report  
WikiLeaks urges U.S. to fully examine abuses  
Oracle CEO Ellison to testify Monday in SAP trial
|  
Samsung sees selling 40 million smartphones in 2011: report
|  
China and France sign 20 billion dollars in trade deals  
Nations must address economic imbalances: APEC draft  
Cambodia, China announce 1.6billion dollar deal: officials  
Nissan quarterly profit surges, raises forecast  
LG Chem, Samsung Total to up naphtha cracking capacity  
Pakistani stocks, o/n rates end up; rupee firmer  
Pakistan's forex reserves rise to $16.96 bln  
BRIEF-Cambodian mobile firm CamGSM gets $591 mln funding  
Qantas jumbo makes emergency landing in Singapore  
Ex-teen idol David Cassidy arrested for drunk driving
|  
Rapper Lil Wayne released from NY jail
|  
Danny Boyle puts human touch into 127 Hours
|  
A Minute With: Downey Jr, Galifianakis on Due Date
|  
Ke$ha debuts at No. 1 on U.S. singles chart
|  
Sirius XM mum on Howard Stern contract talks
|  
Iran nuclear program on "explosive" path  
BBC journalists' strike 'knocks flagship shows off air'  
Cuba says all 68 on board died in plane crash
|  
NATO: 3 service members killed in Afghanistan  
Asia-Pacific governments chip away at Internet freedom  
Charter plane crashes in Pakistan, no survivors
|  
World's oldest axe found in Australia  
Death toll from Indonesia volcano doubles overnight
|  
NASA comet fly-by yields rare images from deep space  
Tribes Suit Says Solar Power Farm Threatens Habitat Of Revered Desert Lizard  
Qantas says A380 engine failure may be design issue
|  
Dell switching off BlackBerry, onto own smartphone  
Beyoncé's "I Am... World Tour" Concert Becomes ABC Thanksgiving Night Special  
Oracle may aim to claim billions more from SAP  
Six Americans killed in Mexico's drug war city
|  
LimeWire Ordered To Be Shut Down  
Western Digital looking at digital home for growth  
Apple To Increase Music Preview To 90 Seconds On iTunes Store  
Iraq parliament session pressures Iraqiya bloc
|  
Update: Palm Bay Hospital Shooter Found Dead  
US cooking magazine under fire for lifting article  
Feds $600 Billion Economic Stimulus Plan Drives Stocks Up  
Military proxies prepare to sweep rare Myanmar poll
|  
Activision profit tops Street, shares rise  
NASA Using Cloud Computing For Mars Rover Project  
Wikileaks founder may seek Swiss asylum: interview  
Japan investigating China collision video
|  
Activision Blizzard net profit more than triples  
Tropical Storm Tomas soaks Haitian tent camps
|  
Indonesian volcano kills 35 in latest blast: hospital  
1.5-million-dollar verdict in US music piracy case  
Indonesian soldiers stand trial over torture video  
China's Hu gives France G20 backing, signs deals  
Global minimum and maximum temperatures  
Video of China-Japan ship collision leaked on YouTube  
Malaysian coalition claims key by-election wins  
Legal appeal sent to UN for jailed Nobel winner  
Medvedev plans 'active' role in Japan APEC summit  
China pressures European governments over Nobel  
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary  
Death toll from Indonesian volcano climbs to 56  
Family says newly crowned oldest woman is 115  
Nearing 70, Ephron loves writing essays on age  
Dell switching off BlackBerry, onto own smartphone
|  
Danny Boyle puts human touch into "127 Hours"  
A Minute With: Downey Jr, Galifianakis on "Due Date"  
BBC apologizes to Geldof for aid-for-weapons story  
Western Digital looking at digital home for growth
|  
World's first Ferrari theme park opens in Abu Dhabi  
Ex-teen idol David Cassidy arrested for drunk driving  
Seoul shares open up; tech issues rise  
Ke$ha debuts at No. 1 on U.S. singles chart  
China, France sign big contracts, unite for G20  
Activision profit tops Street, shares rise
|  
Indonesian soldiers stand trial over torture video  
Erupting Indonesian volcano kills 58  
Indonesia's volcano death toll doubles overnight  
Microsoft's Xbox 360 motion sensor Kinect hits stores  
U.S.-Mexico Drug Tunnel Found, 40 Tons Of Marijuana Seized  
Nova Scotia Couple Spends Entire $11.2 Million Lottery Prize Money In 4 Months  
Official: Mumbai plane lands with suspicious cargo  
Robot Astronaut Debuts, Joins Last Flight Of Discovery  
NCAA Sees First Transgender Athlete In College Basketball Player  
New Michael Jackson album gets December release
|  
Aretha Franklin cancels all shows for six months
|  
Eight Lady Gagas to enter Madame Tussauds worldwide
|  
Megamind cartoon eyes mega-debut at box office
|  
Nearing 70, Ephron loves writing essays on age
|  
RBS bank plunges back into loss  
Three Russian pilots kidnapped in Darfur  
Qantas aircraft makes emergency landing in Singapore
|  
Georgia 'busts Russian spy ring', outrages Moscow  
Another Foxconn worker dies at south China plant  
2 NATO service members killed in south Afghanistan  
RBS plunges into red with third quarter loss  
Afghans turn to Pakistan for medical treatment  
Foxconn worker plunges to death at China plant: report  
Britain urges action over extremist U.S. website
|  
BofA and Citigroup testing iPhone for corporate email: report  
NASA Ohio Facility Locked Down On Report Of Shots Fired  
Officials Warning Consumers To Avoid Bravo Farms Dutch Style Gouda Cheese  
Iraqi al Qaeda group predicts more bloody days
|  
BLS: Employers Added 151,000 Jobs In October  
NASA Spacecraft Snaps Closest Images of Comet Hartley 2  
Georgia says breaks up Russian spy network
|  
New Michael Jackson album gets December release  
Republican Concedes Washington Race To Sen. Murray  
North Korea says still wants to help in ship probe
|  
Michigan Bans Alcoholic Energy Drink Four Loko  
FDA Approves Cymbalta For Back Pain  
E. Coli Outbreak Linked To Costco Cheese  
Michigan Bans Alcohol Drinks Containing Caffeine  
Suicide attack at Pakistan mosque kills 61  
Concerns at US trade proposal as APEC meets  
White House, Pentagon Deny $200 mln Price Tag, 34 Warships Escort For Asian Trip  
Another Foxconn worker falls to death in China  
Mosque bombing in Pakistan kills at least 50  
Charter plane crash kills 21 in Pakistan  
Western Digital looking at digital home for growth
|  
Japan investigating China collision video  
BofA and Citigroup testing iPhone for corporate email: report
|  
Nepalese boy, 9, training to climb Everest  
Cisco CEO comments key to igniting stock gains
|  
Divas set to dominate MTV Europe Music Awards  
Another Foxconn worker dies at south China plant
|  
Portugal's doleful fado seeks place on UN heritage list  
Italy longs for its heyday on 'La Dolce Vita' anniversary  
"Megamind" cartoon eyes mega-debut at box office  
Bank of Japan keeps rate near zero  
New Michael Jackson album gets December release  
Snubbed Haiti presidential candidate Wyclef releases new disc  
Disney's Shanghai theme park takes step forward  
Charter plane crash kills 21 in Pakistan  
US stimulus rings Asian alarm bells  
China rejects targets to ease trade imbalances  
Rebounding Toyota posts $3.6 bln profit  
Pakistani c.bank buys 9.7 bln rupees of govt paper  
S.Korea T-bond futures slide on FX inspection fear  
Japan to closely watch US monetary policy: FM  
Seoul shares slip 0.2 pct on autos; techs bounce  
Divas set to dominate MTV Europe Music Awards
|  
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro  
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found  
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever  
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production  
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time  
AMD to Start Production of piledriver  
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs  
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia  
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air  
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch  
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent  
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up  
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform  
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis  
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets  
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights