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Transforming Central Bank Liabilities into Government Debt: The Case of China
Author(s) -
McCauley Robert,
Ma Guonan
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
china and world economy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.815
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 1749-124X
pISSN - 1671-2234
DOI - 10.1111/cwe.12118
Subject(s) - financial system , bond , business , chinese financial system , market liquidity , foreign exchange reserves , currency , monetary reform , government debt , central government , bank rate , debt , open market operation , china , economics , finance , central bank , monetary economics , monetary policy , exchange rate , local government , public administration , political science , law
Where policy has substantially increased central bank assets, the corresponding liabilities present an opportunity to increase the breadth, depth and liquidity of the government bond market. In China's case, transformed illiquid central bank liabilities could double or triple the stock of government bonds. Central bank liabilities can be transformed into government bonds either through the government's purchase of foreign exchange reserves held by the central bank or by the government overfunding its borrowing requirement and depositing the proceeds in the central bank. The overfunding approach is preferred if, for financial stability reasons, it is judged prudent to leave the central bank with sufficient resources to serve itself as lender of last resort in foreign currency to the banking system. In the case of China, public debt consolidation could also contribute to further liberalizing the Chinese banking system, wider international use of the renminbi and more balanced holdings of key currency government bonds.