International Financial Issues in the Pacific Rim

The imbalanced, yet mutually beneficial, trading relationship between the United States and Asia has long been one of international finance's most perplexing mysteries. Although the United States continues to post a substantial trade deficitand China reaps the benefits of a surplusthe dollar has yet to sink in the face of ever-increasing account disparities. International Financial Issues in the Pacific Rimexplains why the United States enjoys a seemingly symbiotic relationship with its trading partners despite stark inequities in the trade balance, especially with Asia. This timely and well-informed study also debunks the assumed link between economic openness and low inflation in the region, identifies the serious gap between academic and private-sector researchers' understanding of exchange rate volatility, and analyzes the liberalization of Asian capital accounts.International Financial Issues in the Pacific Rimwill have broad implications for global trade and economic policy issues in Asia and beyond.

Takatoshi Ito is professor of economics at the University of Tokyo and a research associate of the NBER and the Tokyo Center for Economic Research.
 
Andrew K. Rose is the Bernard T. Rocca Jr. Professor of International Trade, director of the Clausen Center for International Business and Policy at the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, and a research associate of the NBER.