Malaysia Proposes Common East Asia Currency Based on Gold

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Thursday proposed to create a new “special currency” for the region based on gold, replacing the existing currency trading regime.

Speaking at a dialogue session at the 25th International Conference on The Future of Asia (Nikkei Conference), he claimed that a regional currency based on gold would be more stable.

The prime minister said that by pegging the new currency to gold, it could be used to evaluate the import and export activities among East Asian countries.

“We can make settlement using that (new) currency. That currency must be pegged to the local currency as the exchange rate, which is something that can be related to the country’s performance,” he said.

“That way we know how much we owe, how much we have to pay in the special currency of East Asia."

The new currency could also be extended to countries outside East Asia, he said.

Dr Mahathir noted that the global market is now tied to the US dollar, and this makes the currency prone to manipulation.

“This currency trading is not something that is healthy because it is not about the (economic) performance of countries but it is about manipulation.”

When asked if the Japanese yen or Chinese yuan could be used as the common currency in the region, the prime minister replied: “If we are trying to promote our own currency, there will be conflict."

“But if we have a common currency for East Asia, a common trading currency that is not used in each country but for the purpose of settlement trade only, then there will be stability,” he said.

"At the moment we have to depend upon the US dollar but the US dollar is also not stable. So the currency that we propose should be based on gold because gold is much more stable."

Earlier this week, the United States added Malaysia to a watchlist of trading partners for currency practices, citing its foreign exchange intervention operations.

Malaysia’s central bank has refuted the claim. In a statement on Wednesday, it said the Malaysian economy remains resilient, underpinned by strong economic fundamentals, including the flexibility accorded by a floating exchange rate and strong external balance.