There are signs that the Barack Obama Administration could take a tougher approach in regard to China, including on the issues of climate change, currency exchange rate and human rights, analysts say.
The New York Times said treasury secretary-designate Timothy Geithner's assertion that China "manipulates" its currency has complicated a crucial front in the president's effort to improve America's relations with the world.
There are several other signs that the Obama Administration could take a harder line toward Beijing, including Obama's emphasis on climate change and the environment in trade negotiations and secretary of state Hillary Clinton's focus on human rights, the paper quoted China experts as saying.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce, it noted, responded tartly to the charge by Geithner.
"Directing unsubstantiated criticism at China on the exchange-rate issue will only help US protectionism and will not help towards a real solution to the issue," the ministry said in a statement late yesterday.
China, said the Times, starts off on weaker footing with Obama than it did with his predecessor, George W Bush who along with his last Treasury secretary, Henry M Paulson Jr, cultivated Chinese leaders and refused to call Beijing a manipulator.
Obama has little personal experience of China, and lacks senior advisers with a deep interest in or knowledge of the
country, the paper said.
