Why the push for a stronger renminbi won’t go away

TWO decades after China began allowing its currency to fluctuate, authorities are again standing in the way of an appreciation. It is a reminder that the decision in 2005 to sever the renminbi’s hard peg to the US dollar, important as it was, came with strings attached.

While Beijing never walked away from the foreign exchange market, recent interventions are noteworthy. They suggest a desire to preserve exports made more competitive by a weak currency, and a worry that the domestic economy is softer than official growth numbers suggest.

The problem is that this situation is unlikely to cure itself. Exports rose more than forecast in November, indicated figures released on Monday (Dec 8), and the trade surplus exceeded US$1 trillion for the first time. A raft of data later in the week, by contrast, is projected to point to a lacklustre domestic picture.