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The Globalization Of United States Debt: The Real Impact Of China's Rise As A Creditor State, Michael R. Myers

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

In this Note, I seek to answer a simple question: By owning a large quantity of United States debt, can a foreign country influence United States policies at home or abroad? To answer, I apply scholarship in financial leverage theory to China-the largest foreign holder of U.S. debt. As a result, I find no plausible threat of China using financial leverage against the United States.

Instead, I argue that the true impact of China's rise as a creditor state has been its ability to fundamentally undervalue its currency by investing in the sovereign debt of foreign nations. Such monetary policies …