It's been just days since Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. returned from China, but already the Chinese government has sharply stepped up the appreciation of its currency, allowing it to push through an important level against the dollar on Thursday for the first time.

The recent climb ¡ª less than a full percentage point since the beginning of September ¡ª is still modest and perhaps will not last. But it is producing cautious hope in the Bush administration that the Chinese government may be lifting its opposition to a revaluation that could ease China¡¯s huge trade surplus with the United States. more...