U.S. Treasury Aide on China Resigns
WASHINGTON -- Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's top China hand quit just a month after coming aboard to run the Bush administration's new economic dialogue with Beijing.
Deborah Lehr, a former National Security Council official, resigned for "personal reasons," not because of any disagreement over how the U.S. should approach China, according to a Treasury spokeswoman.
Her departure leaves a hole in Mr. Paulson's team. The secretary -- a former Goldman Sachs chief executive -- arrived at Treasury in July and quickly took charge of the administration's China economic policy.
During his first official trip to China last month, Mr. Paulson announced a "strategic dialogue" to help improve U.S.-Chinese economic relations, which have frayed in recent years over issues such as exchange rates and copyright piracy. He designated Ms. Lehr -- one of his advisers at Goldman Sachs -- as his special envoy to help organize and set the agenda for the twice-yearly meetings.
When Mr. Paulson met with top Chinese officials, he had Ms. Lehr close by his side as a signal of her stature at Treasury and in the new two-way financial diplomacy. "The key to working with the Chinese is being able to get access to all the right people at whatever level," Mr. Paulson said at the time.
After Ms. Lehr presented her letter of resignation last week, Treasury officials informed their Chinese counterparts of her departure.
Mr. Paulson will still travel to China before the end of the year for the first round of talks, the Treasury spokeswoman said.
With Ms. Lehr's departure, the task of organizing the strategic dialogue falls to Undersecretary for International Affairs Timothy Adams, who had been running Treasury's China policy before Mr. Paulson's arrival, and to former State Department aide Taiya Smith, the secretary's deputy chief of staff, according to a Treasury official.
"There are plenty of capable people to carry on," said John Frisbie, president of the U.S.-China Business Council, an association representing more than 250 American companies that do business with China.
Ms. Lehr is married to John F.W. Rogers, chief of staff at Goldman Sachs. They have two young children, and people familiar with Ms. Lehr's thinking said the long hours and extensive travel required for the position played a definitive role in her decision to quit.
美国财政部中国事务顾问宣布辞职
美国财政部长亨利?鲍尔森(Henry Paulson)的首席中国事务顾问已宣布辞职，这距她上任并负责运作布什政府与中国间新的经济对话机制仅有一个月时间。
财政部发言人称，波若?莱尔(Deborah Lehr)是出于个人原因辞职的，并不是因为她与政府在美国应如何与中国打交道的问题上出现了分歧。莱尔曾就职于美国国家安全委员会(National Security Council)。
她的离职让鲍尔森的团队中出现了空缺。曾担任高盛集团(Goldman Sachs)首席执行长的鲍尔森在7月份出任财政部长一职，他随即开始负责布什政府的中国经济政策。
在上个月首次正式出访中国期间，鲍尔森宣布美中将开展“战略对话”，以改善近年来因为汇率和盗版等问题而出现裂痕的两国经济关系。他指定莱尔作为他的特使来帮助组织和安排每年两次的这一对话。鲍尔森在高盛任职时莱尔就是他的顾问之一。
当鲍尔森同中国高级官员会面时，他让莱尔靠近他坐，以突出她在财政部以及新开启的双边经济对话中的地位。鲍尔森当时称，同中国合作的关键是能够接触所有层次的所有相关人员。
在莱尔上周提交辞职信后，财政部官员向中国方面通报了她将离职的消息。
财政部发言人称，鲍尔森今年年底前将访问中国，出席美中首轮经济对话。
财政部官员表示，由于莱尔离职，组织战略对话的重担将落在负责国际事务的副部长蒂莫西?亚当斯(Timothy Adams)和财政部副幕僚长泰亚?史密斯(Taiya Smith)身上。在鲍尔森上任前，亚当斯一直负责财政部的对华政策。而史密斯曾担任美国国务院(State Department)的顾问。
美中贸易全国委员会(U.S.-China Business Council)主席傅强恩(John Frisbie)说，有足够多的有能力的人可以担当此任。美中贸易全国委员会代表着250多家同中国具有业务关系的美国企业。
莱尔的丈夫是高盛集团办公室主任约翰?罗格斯(John F.W. Rogers)。他们有两个年幼的孩子。了解莱尔想法的知情人士称，该职位工作时间过长和频繁的旅行在她的辞职决定中起到了重要作用。
Michael M. Phillips
