China's Financial System: Past, Present and Future

Catalog description

China’s explosive growth has taken place concurrently with the rapid development of its financial system. Has rapid growth been aided by its financial evolution or has growth occurred despite its financial backwardness? The Chinese financial system is impressive for its size and activity while in a very real sense terrifying in its lack of prudential standards, its paucity of financial regulation, and its surreal accounting practices. How can we develop a firm understanding of the current structure and operations of China’s financial system? Our approach will be to study China’s past financial systems, paying close attention to the period beginning in the 1820’s. We will examine the evaluation of finance in China through the abrupt suspension of modern finance occurring with the rise of the Chinese Communist Party. We also examine the unique structural aspects of China’s financial system. Its current issues and problems, and a variety of scenarios for its future development. We pay special attention to the interaction between the financial system, credit allocation, and the performance of the real economy. We also investigate the current areas of fragility within China’s financial system and possible policy options.