about china currency

A Senate bill that aims to restore American jobs by punishing China for its undervalued currency may resonate with a frustrated American public, but it won't work.

In fact, instead creating jobs, the bill is more likely to trigger a damaging trade war with China and increase retail prices for Americans - further hurting the consumer spending that has already been undermined by high unemployment.

"This move is idiotic on so many fronts, I don't know whether to laugh or cry," said Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald.

The Chinese have already threatened to retaliate, and Fitz-Gerald says there are three other reasons why China currency the bill will backfire:

• Tariffs on Chinese goods will raise prices for consumers in the United States, particularly at such retailers as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) and Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT).
• China holds $3.2 trillion in foreign reserves, much of it in U.S. securities, while U.S. national debt is over $14.7 trillion.
• And China's exports to the United States account for only 4.8% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).

"The U.S. Senate has decided to put partisan showboating on the back burner just long enough to craft a bipartisan showboating bill," said Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald.

Five Republican senators joined 14 Democrats in co-sponsoring the China currency bill.

Of course, it's easy to see why shortsighted Senators like the China currency bill, which would impose a tariff on imports from countries that fail to address their undervalued currency.

The United States and other countries have long complained that China keeps the yuan undervalued to make its exports cheaper. The $273 billion of U.S. debt China racked up is clear evidence that the country isn't exactly playing fair.

Furthermore, supporters of the legislation say it would bring home between 500,000 and 2.25 million job, boost U.S. exports, and reduce the federal budget deficit by $850 billion over 10 years. And unlike the stimulus packages of the past several years, it would cost the U.S. Treasury nothing.

But these proponents of the legislation are also guilty of overlooking some fairly important points. The most obvious is that over the past three years the U.S. Federal Reserve has seriously weakened the dollar through its loose monetary policy. And as our largest creditor, China has absorbed the brunt of that devaluation.