China unveils fiscal stimulus measures to revive growth
BEIJING, Oct 12 (Reuters) -China's finance ministry on Saturday unveiled a fiscal stimulus package aimed at reviving the flagging economy and achieving the government's growth target, though it did not disclose the size of the new measures.
The ministry said at a press conference that it would "significantly" increase government debt issuance to provide subsidies to low-income households, support the property market, and replenish state banks' capital as part of efforts to jumpstart economic growth.
The much-anticipated briefing comes after the central bank and other regulators in late September announced the most aggressive monetary stimulus measures since COVID-19, including steps to revive the ailing property market such as mortgage rate cuts.
Reuters reported last month that China plans to issue special sovereign bonds worth about 2 trillion yuan ($283.02 billion) this year as part of fresh fiscal stimulus.
Below are the key measures announced by Finance Minister Lan Foan, at a news conference, where he was joined by Vice Finance Ministers Liao Min, Wang Dongwei, and Guo Tingting.
LOCAL DEBT RESOLUTION
China will increase support for local governments to address hidden debt risks, enhancing their capacity to support the economy. The government has allocated 1.2 trillion yuan ($169.81 billion) in local bond quotas this year to help resolve existing hidden debts and settle government arrears to firms.
China plans a large-scale debt swap program, alongside continued use of bond quotas for debt resolution, described as the "biggest" policy measure in recent years. Detailed policies will be announced after the necessary legal procedures are completed.
BANK RECAPITALISATION
China will expand the use of local government bond proceeds to support the property market and recapitalise large state-owned banks. Special treasury bonds will be issued to bolster the core Tier-1 capital of major state-owned commercial banks, improving their ability to withstand risks and provide credit to the real economy.
PROPERTY MARKET SUPPORT
Local governments will be allowed to use special bonds to purchase unused land, enhancing their ability to manage land supply and alleviating liquidity and debt pressures on both local governments and property developers.
China will also support the purchase of existing commercial housing for use as affordable housing and continue funding affordable housing projects.
The government is studying policies on value-added taxes that are linked to residential properties, and is looking at other tax policies to support the property market.
SUPPORT FOR LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS AND STUDENTS
The government will increase support for low-income individuals and students to boost consumption. The number of national scholarships for undergraduates will be doubled from 60,000 to 120,000 annually, with the value of each scholarship rising from 8,000 yuan to 10,000 yuan per student per year.
Lan also noted that the central government has "relatively large room" to raise debt and increase the budget deficit, though he did not provide details.
China has set this year's budget deficit at 3% of GDP, down from a revised 3.8% last year. The issuance of 1 trillion yuan in special ultra-long treasury bonds this year is not included in the budget. Local governments will issue 3.9 trillion yuan in special bonds in 2024, compared to 3.8 trillion yuan last year.
($1 = 7.0666 Chinese yuan renminbi)
Reporting by Kevin Yao; Editing by Kim Coghill
Senaste nytt
Ansvarsfriskrivning: XM Group-enheter tillhandahåller sin tjänst enbart för exekvering och tillgången till vår onlinehandelsplattform, som innebär att en person kan se och/eller använda tillgängligt innehåll på eller via webbplatsen, påverkar eller utökar inte detta, vilket inte heller varit avsikten. Denna tillgång och användning omfattas alltid av i) villkor, ii) riskvarningar och iii) fullständig ansvarsfriskrivning. Detta innehåll tillhandahålls därför uteslutande som allmän information. Var framför allt medveten om att innehållet på vår onlinehandelsplattform varken utgör en uppmaning eller ett erbjudande om att ingå några transaktioner på de finansiella marknaderna. Handel på alla finansiella marknader involverar en betydande risk för ditt kapital.
Allt material som publiceras på denna sida är enbart avsett för utbildnings- eller informationssyften och innehåller inte – och ska inte heller anses innehålla – rådgivning och rekommendationer om finansiella frågor, investeringsskatt eller handel, dokumentation av våra handelskurser eller ett erbjudande om, eller en uppmaning till, en transaktion i finansiella instrument eller oönskade finansiella erbjudanden som är riktade till dig.
Tredjepartsinnehåll, liksom innehåll framtaget av XM såsom synpunkter, nyheter, forskningsrön, analyser, kurser, andra uppgifter eller länkar till tredjepartssajter som återfinns på denna webbplats, tillhandahålls i befintligt skick, som allmän marknadskommentar, och utgör ingen investeringsrådgivning. I den mån som något innehåll tolkas som investeringsforskning måste det noteras och accepteras att innehållet varken har varit avsett som oberoende investeringsforskning eller har utarbetats i enlighet med de rättsliga kraven för att främja ett sådant syfte, och därför är att betrakta som marknadskommunikation enligt tillämpliga lagar och föreskrifter. Se till så att du har läst och förstått vårt meddelande om icke-oberoende investeringsforskning och riskvarning om ovannämnda information, som finns här.
