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By Matthew, March 30, 2010 10:58 pm

I have not entered into the debate over the present value of the RMB and the push by the US for it to be raised. There are many more eminently knowledgeable people than me in this area so I will leave such discussion to them. However, I came across an excellent entry at the Perspectives on Progress (POP) blog entitled “A Chinese Academics Perspective on China’s Currency“. The introduction to the post provides a good indication of its ensuing content:

In October/November of last year I worked on editing and translating chapters from a book on China’s economic reforms. The articles were written by a wide slew of Chinese academics, including one chapter co-authored by Wu Jinglian and Fan Shitao, two domestic academics (not educated abroad). They do a wonderful job of breaking down China’s currency gamble

As the title suggests, Bryan (the author of POP) then outlines the views of the two academics on this issue. Too often, I think, popular issues on China are debated from outsiders looking in. It is refreshing to read the views of insiders.

As an aside, Bryan was an intern at a previous law firm I worked at in China and he is an intelligent, thoughtful young man who has excellent Chinese language skills. I have had many discussions with him over the time that I have known him about contemporary China issues and have always appreciated his insights. He does not blog very much but when he does it is well worth reading.

Comments (1)

By Matthew, December 3, 2009 1:31 pm

Sorry I just cant let this go yet. One other problem with Entin’s comments is his equating of high rates of growth with pulling people out of poverty. I am not a big critic of China and believe that their economic development over the last 15 years has been incredible. However, to suggest, even slightly, that the poverty problem in China has been fixed is deplorable.  To also suggest that the only remaining problem China has is with too many State Owned Enterprises is to display your ideological card on your sleeve. Is this Milton Friedman’s godson?

One of the crtitical issues (social, economic or whatever) facing China today is the ever-widening gap between rich and poor. Stan Abrams author of the excellent China Hearsay regularly writes about China’s “rebalancing” problem. I wont go over it here because Stan says it much better than I could.

Okay rant over. Now its time to cool down.