| April 7, 2010 View this newsletter as a web page on CFR's website.  |  | | | | | | Top of the Agenda: Geithner to Conduct Talks in Beijing U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will hold talks in Beijing (WashPost) Thursday amid heightened tensions between the United States and China over the value of the Chinese yuan. The yuan will likely top Geithner's agenda during a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan, days after the U.S. Treasury postponed its decision on naming China a "currency manipulator." Meanwhile, a policy overview by China's National Development and Reform Commission, the country's most influential economic planning agency, suggested Chinese authorities are considering letting the yuan rise off its peg against the dollar. The statement said China would consider exporters' exchange rate risks, while one of its economists said China should move toward a more flexible exchange rate. The White House said President Barack Obama would also discuss the issue next week with Chinese President Hu Jintao during a nuclear security summit in Washington. China's foreign ministry said the country's currency policy would follow three principles: Any change would be controlled, home-grown, and gradual (FT). Analysis: In the Times of London, Bill Emmott says postponement of the April 15 report on currency manipulation makes sense, because a deal between the United States and China on its currency is feasible. In the Financial Times, Clive Crook says the U.S. Treasury's delay was wise, because a more sophisticated, cooperative approach is more likely to garner China's support. Background: This CFR Backgrounder examines the China-U.S. economic imbalance. | | | | | | | | | MIDDLE EAST: Iraqi Premier Loses Key Shiite Support Supporters of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr don't want him to back (WSJ) Iraq's incumbent prime minister Nouri al-Maliki or his chief rival Ayad Allawi following the March 7 election. Instead, they support Shiite politician Ibrahim al-Jaafari, interim prime minister from 2005 to 2006. The close vote count in Iraq's elections means that it will take months of coalition-building, and Sunni-Shiite political tensions, before it's clear who will head the new government, says CFR expert Meghan O'Sullivan. Iran: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ridiculed U.S. President Obama (AP) over his new nuclear strategy to a crowd of thousands in northwest Iran. | | | | | | | | | | | AFRICA: Sudan Clashes over North-South Border Within days of Sudan's upcoming elections, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir said Khartoum was delaying demarcating the north-south border (Reuters) to try to retain control over oil reserves. This Center for Preventive Action Contingency Planning Memo presents the likely triggers of renewed civil war in Sudan and discusses the U.S. policy options for preventing it from happening and mitigating its consequences. Nigeria: Nigerian acting president Goodluck Jonathan dismissed (DailyTrust) the head of the country's national oil company Mohammed Barkindo, who held the position for just over a year. Read this transcript of John Campbell, Bennett Freeman, and Peter Lewis discussing Nigeria's political crisis, sectarian conflict, security conditions, and energy sector. | | | | | |
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