China facing tough year, PM rejects yuan pressure

In a wide-ranging press conference at the end of China\'s annual session of parliament, Wen said Beijing was not ready to withdraw stimulus measures put in place in late 2008 to pull the world\'s third-largest economy out of crisis.

He also warned Beijing would not cede to foreign pressure to boost the value of its currency, nor would it allow the United States to push it too far on the thorny issues of Taiwan and Tibet.

"This year is going to be the most complicated year for the economy," Wen told hundreds of reporters gathered at the Great Hall of the People for his only formal press conference of the year.

"We will maintain the continuity and stability of our macroeconomic policies," he said, adding that as circumstances change, Beijing would make every effort to make its policies "more flexible".

The Communist government launched a 586-billion-dollar stimulus package in late 2008 to boost domestic demand as a way to make up for falling exports, which plummeted when key US and European markets tumbled into recession.

Beijing has since returned to double-digit growth -- a blistering 10.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009 -- prompting fears of economic overheating and asset bubbles that could later lead to a bust.

Chinese consumer prices rose for the fourth straight month in February while new lending slowed sharply, official data showed last week -- leading analysts to predict Beijing could wait a bit longer before implementing tough tightening measures.

Wen said that for now, the focus remained on consolidating China\'s recovery.

"The economic situation remains complicated... even if the world economy were to pick up, the main global economic problems have not completely disappeared," he said.

China\'s trade partners have repeatedly called for Beijing to allow the yuan to appreciate, saying it is kept artificially low to boost exports.

US President Barack Obama last week called on China to adopt a "market-oriented" exchange rate policy, which he said would make an "essential contribution" to rebalancing the world economy after the crisis.

But Wen rejected those calls, and said the currency\'s value was not to blame for foreign trade deficits.

"We are opposed to the practice of engaging in mutual finger-pointing among countries or taking strong measures to force other countries to appreciate their currencies," said Wen.

"This kind of practice is not in the interest of the reform of the renminbi (yuan) exchange rate regime."

The premier said China had made "strong efforts" since the outbreak of the international financial crisis to keep the yuan at a "stable level".

The value of the yuan has become a major sticking point in relations between China and the United States, which are badly strained over a number of other issues including a spate of trade disputes, Tibet, Taiwan and Internet freedom.

Wen also said US arms sales to Taiwan and Obama\'s meeting last month with the Dalai Lama, Tibet\'s exiled spiritual leader, violated China\'s sovereignty and it was up to Washington to repair the diplomatic damage.

The premier reiterated the government\'s resolve to tackle a widening rich-poor gap increasingly seen as a threat to social stability.

Wen said "inflation, plus unfair income distribution and corruption, could affect our social stability and even the stability of (the government)."

The parliament pledged during its session to widen the nation\'s much-criticised social safety net, increase representation from the peasant countryside and take other measures to spread the wealth more evenly.

Calls have been mounting for the government to address a disparity that has seen rural regions largely left behind in China\'s economic boom.

© Copyright AFP Agence France-Presse GmbH - All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed. All reproduction or redistribution is expressly forbidden without the prior written agreement of AFP.