China’s long-term stable economic trend remains unchanged, despite the coronavirus outbreak, the central bank said.
“But at present, challenges faced by China’s economic development are unprecedented, we must fully consider difficulties, risks and
uncertainties,” it said.
The bank said it will keep liquidity ample, using both aggregate and structural policy measures, and continue to deepen interest rate
reforms to help lower borrowing costs and allocate financial resources
more efficiently in the economy.
The central bank will also support the real economy, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, it said.
“We should properly handle the relationship between stabilizing growth, ensuring employment, adjusting structure, preventing risks and
controlling inflation,” the PBOC said.
China’s economy contracted 6.8% in the first quarter from a year earlier, shrinking for the first time since at least 1992, as the
coronavirus outbreak paralysed production and spending, raising pressure
on authorities to do more to stop mounting job losses.
The PBOC has already rolled out a raft of easing steps since early February, including cuts in reserve requirements and lending rates and
targeted lending support for virus-hit firms.
The central bank will continue to deepen the reform of the loan prime rate (LPR) regime and improve the monetary policy transmission
mechanism to help lower borrowing costs, it said.
In August 2019, PBOC overhauled the benchmark lending rate mechanism by using the market-driven LPR to replace the previous benchmark bank
lending rate.It will keep growth of M2 and social financing in line with
and slightly higher than nominal GDP growth, it said.
It will deepen foreign exchange market reform, maintain yuan flexibility and keep the yuan basically stable, it said.China will also
develop its financial markets to fuel growth and economic restructuring,
the central bank said.
The government will support fundraising by private firms through equity financing and bond sales, part of efforts to reduce the economy’s
excessive reliance on bank lending.Meanwhile, PBOC said it would
promote “systemic” opening of its bond market, and will introduce more
long-term investors.
