[Bessent: The Strong Dollar Concept Is Not Simply About Exchange Rate Levels] According to a report by Jinse Finance, on June 24, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent distinguished between maintaining a strong dollar policy and merely focusing on exchange rates. “When people talk about a strong dollar, I don’t think it’s about the Bloomberg Dollar Index,” Bessent said in response to a question after delivering a speech at the Economic Club of New York on Tuesday evening. “I think it means we are taking various measures to lay the foundation for people to want to come to this country, whether it’s tax certainty, regulatory certainty, or energy certainty.” He stated that a strong dollar is not contradictory to a robust manufacturing sector. “Germany used to be an industrial powerhouse, and they relied on a strong currency,” which made Germany more efficient, innovative, and productive. Regarding the decline of the dollar since the beginning of last year, he said: “I don’t wake up thinking, ‘Great, this is helpful for the economy.’ I feel it’s just price fluctuations on the screen.” He noted that currency devaluation in low-cost manufacturing countries could be detrimental to the U.S.: “I often think this isn’t necessarily because of a strong dollar. Perhaps—take Southeast Asian countries, for example, because they manage their currencies the most—but it could also just be the weakness of other currencies elsewhere.”