The People’s Bank of China’s latest initiative signals deepening concerns. Investors were surprised by the discount rate cut last week, but the scale of the adjustment was small by global standards. State-owned enterprises are under pressure to provide more credit, and $29.3 billion in special financing will be provided to ensure real estate projects reach buyers. The yuan is near his two-year low and has lost more than 5% against the dollar over the past 12 months. Officials are likely to see some currency depreciation as a way to boost exports, unless the currency depreciation is dramatic.On Wednesday, China’s cabinet announced his 19-point plan to keep the economy going. I have outlined the packages for . The details weren’t that encouraging, but it sounds impressive. A further 1 trillion yuan ($146 billion) funding commitments, mostly focused on infrastructure, don’t hit hard. There is none.
It’s safe to assume that more development is on the way. A PBOC-backed newspaper endorsed additional support in a front-page story last week. No wonder economists are predicting further rate cuts and additional measures to put a floor on the slowing economic expansion. Leaders always seem to be catching up. Goals seem to be competing: As soon as plans to bolster growth are announced, officials remind us that they are reluctant to undertake large-scale exploitation of the economy.
Premier Li Keqiang has resisted a large-scale rescue, saying last month that he would “not overdo the future.” Attention reflects bitter experience. China unleashed a huge stimulus package during the US subprime crisis. This helped the world weather a deep recession, but it also created huge insolvency for banks and government favored companies. But China’s economy is now in a very different place. It was already sliding towards low single-digit growth before Covid flared up again in early 2020. This compares to the period after China’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001, when gross domestic product surged by more than 10% a year.Beijing’s policies are tied to past trauma, not current demands. Is it?
Today, after an initially strong recovery from the early pandemic contraction, activity is muted again. There is no doubt that the country will do more. The debate is about scale, effectiveness, and communication. The difficulty of articulating a clear path is exacerbated by the collar Covid-zero surrounds business and social life. It’s hard to make predictions when we don’t know how many major cities will close and when. That means tough times for forward guidance.
Authorities cannot just throw up their hands. PBOC should try harder not to stumble. Before the latest rate cut, banks were hitting mostly hawkish notes. Governor Yi Gang is right to pay attention to inflation, but it is only a fraction of what other major economies can tolerate. “China is incrementally increasing monetary stimulus in baby steps,” said Eric Chu of Bloomberg Economics. “Large policy shifts will be needed to get growth back on track as traditional tools have failed to gain traction.”
Breaking away from gradualism will require the support of Communist Party leaders, but Lee is not stuck. Since a large part of the economy is tied to the state, any action taken by the PBOC could flow into the targeted sector. “We see the introduction of the central government’s rescue fund as the first meaningful positive development in the last five to six weeks,” said Nomura Holdings analysts Jizhou Dong and Stella Guo.
How long will it be before PBOC officials start touting a version of former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi’s “whatever” version? Sounds like Mr. Paulson, but they argue that the US housing meltdown will be “contained” and will not sink the entire US economy, let alone global finance. Draghi didn’t get there overnight either. The ECB had its share of halving measures that failed.
Chinese policymakers still have a long way to go. May they get there soon.
Bloomberg Opinion Details:
• PBOC cut says China’s outlook must be dire: Daniel Moss
• Don’t trust predictions.China is fine: Anjani Trivedi
• China’s surprise data could lead to recession: John Orthers
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.
Daniel Moss is the Bloomberg Opinion’s Asian Economics Columnist. Previously, he was the economics editor for Bloomberg News.
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