MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Message to Beijing: keep investing in US Treasury bonds

H. Clinton : USA & China ”will ?rise and fall? together in this financial crisis

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered a quiet nod to human rights but there was no mistaking her key message to Beijing at the end of her week-long in Asia: both countries will “rise and fall” together in this financial crisis.

On her last day in Beijing she urged China to continue to invest in US Treasury bonds, saying that this would boost the US economy and, in return, stimulates the import of Chinese goods. "I certainly do think that the Chinese government and central bank are making a smart decision by continuing to invest in Treasury bonds", she said during an interview with a Shanghai TV station. "It's a safe investment. The United States has a well-deserved financial reputation". China, with foreign exchange reserves of nearly 2 trillion US dollars is already the world's largest holder of US government debt. It has nearly 700 billion US dollars worth of securities, according to official US data. But despite reiterating the importance of Sino-US cooperation to rescue the global economy, Mrs Clinton also made gestures to show her interest in political and religious freedom in China and did so without offending her Chinese hosts. She went to a state-sanctioned church in the morning amid tight security, and sat through an hour-long service conducted in Mandarin. Churchgoers told local media that apart from the tightened security, the service followed the usual program and Mrs Clinton kept a low profile. China has about 40 million active Christians, with about half attending underground churches and the rest going to state-approved ones whose clergy have been checked by the government.