'Reform international monetary system faster'

Finance Minister Xie Xuren has shrugged off US President Barack Obama's claim that the US dollar was "extraordinarily strong" and called for a faster reform of the international monetary system.

"It is necessary to push forward for an international monetary system consisting of multiple currencies," Xie said in an interview posted on the ministry's website. "We should let more currencies play a part in maintaining the stability of the global monetary system."

Xie's comments came two days after Zhou Xiaochuan, the central bank governor, said that it was necessary to displace the US dollar with a super-sovereign reserve currency. Zhou also said the Special Drawing Rights, a currency basket of the dollar, the euro, the British pound and the yen, had the potential to become an international reserve currency. It was unclear if Zhou's comments also represented those of the government's.