WASHINGTON (November 17, 2009)—U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Tuesday the global economy is moving toward a recovery, but countries can't rely on U.S. consumers to serve as the engine of worldwide growth.

In testimony prepared for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Geithner said significant cooperation among the world's 20 major economies had helped countries to "put out the financial fire" and restart economic growth, but he said for the recovery to be sustained, nations will no longer be able to rely on U.S. consumers to drive global growth.

He said countries with large trade surpluses such as China will have to foster policies to support domestic growth, while countries with large trade and budget deficits will need to boost savings.