China commentaries demand US responsibility on "fiscal cliff"

BEIJING (REUTERS) - China's official Xinhua news agency demanded on Tuesday that the United States live up to its global economic responsibilities, put political infighting aside and sort out the "fiscal cliff" mess.

"Being the world's only superpower and the issuer of the dominant global reserve currency, the United States has a unique role and an unshirkable duty to help cure the ailing global economy," one of its English-language commentaries said.

"In today's economically interconnected and interdependent world, it is more of a benefit than of a burden that Washington honours its global responsibility," the state-run agency added.

"Should Washington fail to pull itself from the escarpment, the repercussions would throw the whole world into a cold winter of stagnant growth and laggard recovery."