Us Interests In The Reform Of Chinas Financial Services Sector

U.S. interests in the reform of China's financial services sector: hearing before the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Tenth Congress, first session, June 6, 2007.

" 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. "

As editors, first of all, we would like to thank the authors of this volume for their conscientious work that makes this volume possible. Many ideas in this book were first explored at an international symposium on financial market reforms in China, which was organized by the Chinese Economists Society. We would like to express our thanks to the sponsors of the conference: Center for International Business Education and Research, China Reform Foundation, MetLife, Hausman & Shrenger LLP, Lincoln National Insurance Company, City National Bank, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California and The Chinese Economists Society. The Lincoln Foundation also provided generous support to this project through a grant made to Claremont Graduate University where this book was finalized.

China's prospects of successfully completing the transition to a market economy and becoming the world's largest economy during the 21st Century depend on the future sustainability of high rates of economic growth. This book is a comprehensive, balanced and realistic assessment of China's financial reform program and future direction. Covering not only the banking sector but also non-bank financial institutions, stock market development and external financial liberalization, the authors examine the impact of financial reform on economic development in China during the reform period. This volume will facilitate a more accurate assessment of the Chinese approach to financial reform, and will therefore allow more informed future policy choices for both China and other developing and transitional countries.

China's increasing role in global economic affairs has placed the country at a crossroads: how many and what types of international capital-market transactions will China permit? How will China's financial system change internally? What kind of relationships will the Chinese government develop with foreign financial institutions, especially with those based in the United States? Can China broker a sustainable partnership with America that will avoid sending economic shock waves throughout the world? Drawing on the contemporary research of prominent international scholars, the experts in this volume outline the trajectory of China's financial markets since the advent of reform and anticipate their uncertain future. Chapter authors and commentators include Geert Bekaert, Loren Brandt, Lee Branstetter, Mary Wadsworth Darby, Michael DeStefano, Barry Eichengreen, Campbell Harvey, Fred Hu, Xiaobo Lu, Christian Lundblad, Ailsa Roell, Daniel Rosen, Shang-Jin Wei, Jialin Yu, and Xiaodong Zhu. The book begins with an overview of the history of financial-sector development, regulation, and performance and then focuses on the banking sector, discussing the progress, challenges, and prospects of current sector reform. Subsequent chapters describe the role of foreign capital in China's development and analyze the changes in capital flows and controls over time; explore various explanations for China's composition of foreign-capital and foreign-exchange policies, particularly the factors shaping China's reliance on foreign direct investment; and provide an international, comparative perspective on the remarkable growth experience of China and the contribution of its institutional environment to that experience. Contributors dispute the belief that stock market listing has done little to reform state-owned enterprises and take a hard look at the exchange rate regime choice for China, considering the potential long-run desirability of flexibility and the appropriate sequencing of reforms in foreign-exchange policy, domestic banking reform, and capital-market openness. The book concludes with a roundtable discussion in which prominent economists, including Peter Garber, Robert Hodrick, John Makin, David Malpass, Frederic Mishkin, and Eswar Prasad, debate the pace of the appreciation of China's currency and the likely consequences of that policy within and outside of China.

"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

Prior to the initiation of economic reforms and trade liberalization 36 years ago, China maintained policies that kept the economy very poor, stagnant, centrally-controlled, vastly inefficient, and relatively isolated from the global economy. Since opening up to foreign trade and investment and implementing free market reforms in 1979, China has been among the world's fastest-growing economies, with real annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth averaging nearly 10% through 2016. In recent years, China has emerged as a major global economic power. It is now the world's largest economy (on a purchasing power parity basis), manufacturer, merchandise trader, and holder of foreign exchange reserves.The global economic crisis that began in 2008 greatly affected China's economy. China's exports, imports, and foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows declined, GDP growth slowed, and millions of Chinese workers reportedly lost their jobs. The Chinese government responded by implementing a $586 billion economic stimulus package and loosening monetary policies to increase bank lending. Such policies enabled China to effectively weather the effects of the sharp global fall in demand for Chinese products, but may have contributed to overcapacity in several industries and increased debt by Chinese firms and local government. China's economy has slowed in recent years. Real GDP growth has slowed in each of the past six years, dropping from 10.6% in 2010 to 6.7% in 2016, and is projected to slow to 5.7% by 2022.The Chinese government has attempted to steer the economy to a "new normal" of slower, but more stable and sustainable, economic growth. Yet, concerns have deepened in recent years over the health of the Chinese economy. On August 11, 2015, the Chinese government announced that the daily reference rate of the renminbi (RMB) would become more "market-oriented." Over the next three days, the RMB depreciated against the dollar and led to charges that China's goal was to boost exports to help stimulate the economy (which some suspect is in worse shape than indicated by official Chinese economic statistics). Concerns over the state of the Chinese economy appear to have often contributed to volatility in global stock indexes in recent years.The ability of China to maintain a rapidly growing economy in the long run will likely depend largely on the ability of the Chinese government to implement comprehensive economic reforms that more quickly hasten China's transition to a free market economy; rebalance the Chinese economy by making consumer demand, rather than exporting and fixed investment, the main engine of economic growth; boost productivity and innovation; address growing income disparities; and enhance environmental protection. The Chinese government has acknowledged that its current economic growth model needs to be altered and has announced several initiatives to address various economic challenges. In November 2013, the Communist Party of China held the Third Plenum of its 18th Party Congress, which outlined a number of broad policy reforms to boost competition and economic efficiency. For example, the communique stated that the market would now play a "decisive" role in allocating resources in the economy. At the same time, however, the communique emphasized the continued important role of the state sector in China's economy. In addition, many foreign firms have complained that the business climate in China has worsened in recent years. Thus, it remains unclear how committed the Chinese government is to implementing new comprehensive economic reforms.China's economic rise has significant implications for the United States and hence is of major interest to Congress. This report provides background on China's economic rise; describes its current economic structure; identifies the challenges China faces to maintain economic growth; and discusses the challenges, opportunities, and implications of China's economic rise.