US envoy addresses currency issue

Huntsman takes questions on bilateral relations over live webcast

BEIJING - Washington's pressure on Beijing to increase the yuan's value is partially driven by domestic politics ahead of looming midterm elections, the top US envoy in China suggested on Tuesday.

Currency debates between the US and China have become "high profile" with midterm elections in November and a stubbornly high unemployment rate in the US, Ambassador Jon Huntsman said in a town hall meeting broadcast online in Beijing as he responded to questions from an audience in America.