Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of China’s central bank, told a meeting of Group of 20 finance ministers in Ankara that a stock-market bubble in his country had “burst,” according to Japan’s Taro Aso. Another official present at the talks said China had presented the country’s situation as a new normal.
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China is on the defensive as its slowing economy and market turbulence send shock waves through emerging markets just as the U.S. is preparing to raise interest rates. With the MSCI emerging market index down 18 percent so far this year, a draft communique prepared before the meeting cited “recent volatility in financial markets” and the need to monitor potential spillovers.
The Shanghai Composite index has lost about 40 percent since reaching a three-year high in June. Zhou used the word “burst” three times in his explanation of what is going on with the stock market, according to a Japanese finance ministry official.
The Chinese delegation said they were trying to shift to a different growth model with as little disruption as possible, according to an international official participating in the talks. They said were trying to reduce indebtedness and are planning measures that will regulate swings in the stock market.
“China is definitely trying to play a constructive role,” Canadian Finance Minister Joe Oliver said in an interview. “It is the second-largest economy in the world and so when it slows down it has global implications. That is I think what we are dealing with.”
Full article: G-20 Wrestles Currency Tension as Zhou Says Bubble Has Burst (BloombergBusiness)
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