Chinas Banking System Issues For Congress

China's banking system has been gradually transformed from a centralized, government-owned and government-controlled provider of loans into an increasingly competitive market in which different types of banks, including several U.S. banks, strive to provide a variety of financial services. Only three banks in China remain fully government-owned; most banks have been transformed into mixed ownership entities in which the central or local government may or may not be a major equity holder in the bank.

"This is a very timely book. With the recapitalization and reform of China's banking sector now well under way, the banks are on the brink of a new era of growth and expansion. This work is the definitive reference on the banking sector in China, and is an essential tool for anyone seeking to understand the dynamics of financial intermediation on the Mainland. It sets out the facts, free of the judgment calls that so often cloud the true picture of the health of China's banking system." --Dr. David K.P. Li, Chairman and Chief Executive, The Bank of East Asia, Limited "As China continues its impressive pace of economic growth, the rest of the world is constantly reassessing the opportunities and challenges it presents. This book is the first official report on the status of China's financial services industry and financial markets. For the first time, the international community gets access to the same information that the Chinese government uses in making key policies. Such unique insights make this book an essential read for business leaders, investors, policy makers, scholars, and anyone who is interested in understanding China's profound impact on businesses and consumers globally." --Maurice R. Greenberg, Chairman & CEO, C.V. Starr & Co. "This is the first book that introduces all aspects of the Chinese banking and financial markets to international audiences. From its developmental history to its contemporary challenges, China's banking and finance markets are presented, explored and analyzed with great detail and in great depth. Both the richness of the data and the scholarly strength of the methodology are a milestone. China's increasing participation in global financial markets makes this book a must read for all financial professionals worldwide." --Lefei Liu, Chief Investment Officer, ChinaLife Insurance

Despite four decades of promised liberalization, the Communist Party-state retains the ability to intervene decisively in China’s banking system to achieve desired outcomes. This comprehensive report lays out how China’s banking system has reached an important juncture, as two ongoing and competing constraints have been exacerbated by the current COVID-19 pandemic: (1) Banks of all sizes are under pressure to clean up their balance sheets, raise new capital, and dispose of bad loans; and (2) Beijing is forcing them to boost lending to struggling companies at nonmarket rates to forestall a further slowdown in the pace of economic growth. Further, Beijing’s focus on maintaining stability and control warps market incentives by encouraging investors, creditors, and depositors to evaluate a bank based on its likelihood of receiving government support if there is a risk of insolvency rather than on its individual fundamentals​. As the COVID-19 fallout grows, exchange rates are the most likely channel through which economic pain could be transmitted to U.S. investors. But a number of other channels, such as the inclusion of Chinese equities into major international indexes, are also raising the exposure of U.S. investors and savers to China’s risky banking system. The report concludes by providing policy considerations for Congress and describes the opportunities and tradeoffs involved in the deepening integration of the U.S. and Chinese financial sectors.

The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report, published by the U.S. Government and the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission in early 2011, is the official government report on the United States financial collapse and the review of major financial institutions that bankrupted and failed, or would have without help from the government. The commission and the report were implemented after Congress passed an act in 2009 to review and prevent fraudulent activity. The report details, among other things, the periods before, during, and after the crisis, what led up to it, and analyses of subprime mortgage lending, credit expansion and banking policies, the collapse of companies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the federal bailouts of Lehman and AIG. It also discusses the aftermath of the fallout and our current state. This report should be of interest to anyone concerned about the financial situation in the U.S. and around the world.THE FINANCIAL CRISIS INQUIRY COMMISSION is an independent, bi-partisan, government-appointed panel of 10 people that was created to "examine the causes, domestic and global, of the current financial and economic crisis in the United States." It was established as part of the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009. The commission consisted of private citizens with expertise in economics and finance, banking, housing, market regulation, and consumer protection. They examined and reported on "the collapse of major financial institutions that failed or would have failed if not for exceptional assistance from the government."News Dissector DANNY SCHECHTER is a journalist, blogger and filmmaker. He has been reporting on economic crises since the 1980's when he was with ABC News. His film In Debt We Trust warned of the economic meltdown in 2006. He has since written three books on the subject including Plunder: Investigating Our Economic Calamity (Cosimo Books, 2008), and The Crime Of Our Time: Why Wall Street Is Not Too Big to Jail (Disinfo Books, 2011), a companion to his latest film Plunder The Crime Of Our Time. He can be reached online at www.newsdissector.com.

" The book is a problem-oriented study of China's financial sector in the transitional process since 1979. It provides deep and precise insights into the characteristics and problems of China's financial sector with respect to investment finance, the central banking and commercial banking systems, the financial market, and the legal and institutional framework of bank supervision in China. More importantly, the book has also proposed workable strategies for resolving two acute problems: interest rate liberalization and solving the issue of non-performing loans in China's banking system. The recent financial crisis in Asia is also a subject of the book, especially as regards its effects on the banking sector, stock markets, and extemal financial market liberalization in China. Furthermore, a projection is made about the trends in Chinese economic policies, particularly the interest rate policy, the exchange rate policy, and the fiscal policy, and about the perspectives of China's financial sector reform. This book is a valuable reference for academic researchers, investors, business managers, and policy-makers who are concemed with China's banking and financial system. "

Congress is currently considering appropriations for U.S. contributions to the World Bank and other multilateral development banks (MDBs) as well as separate legislation that would require U.S. representatives to these institutions to oppose all concessional loans to China. This report provides a brief analysis of China’s relationship with the MDBs to highlight some issues and help Members of Congress, congressional staff, and observers better understand the context for the current debates in Congress and the multilateral agencies.