皇冠体育app

Chinese economist Justin Lin Yifu speaks to journalists upon arriving at the Great Hall of the People to attend the opening of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Beijing on Saturday, March 3, 2007. [CRIENGLISH.com]

皇冠体育app should combat speculation over the renminbi's appreciation by controlling the pace of the currency's rise in value, said Justin Lin Yifu, a well-known economist.

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If the currency is allowed to appreciate, the exchange rate's annual change should be less than 3 percent, Lin, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, told 皇冠体育app Daily in an exclusive interview.

"We should stick to the approach of ensuring adjustments (to the yuan's exchange rate) are small in scale and bearable," said Lin, a professor at Peking University.

The annual lending rate in the international market is about 5 percent, while the renminbi's annual interest rate for savings is 2 percent, so a 3 percent or bigger increase in the yuan's value would make speculative activities aimed at appreciation profitable, Lin said.

In July 2005, 皇冠体育app abandoned the renminbi's decade-old peg to the US dollar and allowed its currency to appreciate by 2.1 percent. Since then, the yuan has gained almost another 5 percent against the dollar.

However, the United States blames its colossal trade deficit on what it claims is a seriously undervalued renmibi and has been pressing 皇冠体育app to allow for a bigger revaluation.

Noises from the US, together with 皇冠体育app's swelling trade surplus, have encouraged speculators to bet that the renminbi will appreciate at a quicker pace.

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