The top candidate to run the International Monetary Fund, French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, said she made clear that the euro zone crisis would be a priority if she wins the job.
Lagarde made the comments in Beijing, the latest leg of her world tour to seek support for her IMF candidacy. She is seen as the favorite to replace former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn who was arrested last month on sexual assault charges.
Lagarde said her talks with Chinese central bank and finance ministry officials about her candidacy were positive, but she stopped short of claiming Beijing's outright support.
"I'm very positive about my trip to China but the decision does not belong to me. It belongs to the Chinese authorities," she told a news conference at the French embassy in Beijing.
"I'm confident, I'm very positive about the meetings I've had so far. Some governments and some countries have decided to go public early. My sense is that it's too early to count your chickens if I may say."
China has not spelt out whether it supports Lagarde, but it has joined other big emerging economies in demanding that the IMF and other international financial institutions give greater heed to their demands.
And in Beijing, Lagarde indicated she was listening to those demands. She said she backed the decision to increase China's voting rights at the IMF from 3.65 percent to 6.4 percent, and also said the organization would help Beijing internationalize its yuan currency.
