Speaker:
Ms. Wang Chunying, deputy administrator and spokesperson of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE)
Chairperson:
Mr. Xie Yingjun, deputy director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO
Date:
July 21, 2023
Xie Yingjun:
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). Today, we are joined by Ms. Wang Chunying, deputy administrator and spokesperson of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE). Ms. Wang will brief you on China's foreign exchange receipts and payment data in the first half of 2023 and take your questions.
Now, I will give the floor to Ms. Wang.
Wang Chunying:
Good morning. Welcome to today's press conference. I will start by introducing China's foreign exchange receipts and payment data in the first half of 2023 and then take your questions.
In the first half of 2023, the global economic recovery faced significant challenges amid a complex and difficult global financial market and geopolitical landscape. Under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China has focused on the primary task of pursing high-quality development, and has seen an upturn in the domestic economy. The country's foreign exchange market demonstrated resilience in several aspects. Notably, expectations of the RMB exchange rate remained stable; cross-border capital flows sustained in a stable and orderly manner; the supply and demand of foreign exchange market remained balanced; and both cross-border receipts and payments by non-banking sectors as well as the foreign exchange settlement and sales by banks registered a surplus.
For cross-border receipts and payments by non-banking sectors, in U.S. dollar terms, banks registered $3.0259 trillion in foreign-related receipts and $2.9792 trillion in foreign-related payments for customers, which represented a surplus of $46.7 billion. Or in yuan terms, banks handled foreign-related receipts of 20.9746 trillion yuan and payments of 20.6526 trillion yuan for customers, recording a surplus of 322.1 billion yuan. According to data on foreign exchange settlement and sales by banks, in the first half of 2023, in U.S. dollar terms, banks settled $1.1325 trillion and sold $1.1307 trillion, representing a surplus of $1.8 billion. Or in yuan terms, banks settled 7.8482 trillion yuan and sold 7.8338 trillion yuan, recording a surplus of 14.3 trillion yuan.
In the first half of 2023, China's foreign exchange receipts and payments have demonstrated the following characteristics:
First, cross-border capital flows remained stable with net inflow momentum. In the first half of 2023, the total amount of cross-border receipts and payments by non-banking sectors exceeded $6 trillion, which was the second highest level in history during the same period. In terms of the balance, foreign-related receipts and payments have seen a surplus. Specifically, the surplus of foreign-related receipts and payments reached a seasonal high in January 2023. This can be attributed to factors such as enterprises rushing to collect foreign exchange before Spring Festival. During the February-May period, the amount of foreign-related receipts and payments remained basically the same. The size of surplus rebounded to $12 billion in June. Based on quarterly data, we have also seen a surplus for two consecutive quarters.
Second, foreign exchange settlement and sales by banks recorded a small surplus, and the supply and demand of the overseas foreign exchange market remained basically balanced. In the first half of the year, the overall foreign exchange settlement and sales by banks recorded a surplus, and the supply and demand of foreign exchange sustained a basic balance upon consideration of other factors in this regard. According to quarterly data, foreign exchange settlement and sales by banks recorded a small deficit in the first quarter and this turned into a surplus in the second quarter. Particularly in June, despite the increasingly complex external environment, foreign exchange settlement and sales by banks recorded a surplus of $8.2 billion, which was significantly higher than the monthly average in the previous months.
Third, the foreign exchange sales rate increased, and the foreign exchange financing by enterprises remained stable. In the first half of 2023, the sales rate, a measure of customers' willingness to buy foreign exchange, which is the ratio of foreign exchange purchased by customers from banks to foreign-related foreign exchange payments made by customers, stood at 69.2%, up 3 percentage points over the same period in 2022. In terms of foreign exchange financing, as of the end of June 2023, the outstanding domestic foreign exchange loans of market participants, such as Chinese enterprises, amounted to $274.9 billion, an increase of $3.7 billion from the end of 2022. The balance of foreign currency financing under international trade, such as import refinancing and forward letter of credit, stood at $67.4 billion, declining $9.4 billion from the end of 2022.
Fourth, the foreign exchange settlement ratio steadily increased, and the balance of enterprises' foreign exchange deposits declined. In the first half of 2023, the foreign exchange settlement ratio, a measure of customers' willingness to settle foreign exchange, which is the ratio of foreign exchange sold by customers to banks to customers' foreign-related foreign exchange receipts, reached 67.5%, up by 0.5 percentage point over the same period in 2022. As of the end of June 2023, domestic foreign exchange deposits held by Chinese enterprises and other market participants totaled $606.1 billion, declining $28 billion from the end of 2022. This suggests that the general willingness among market entities to hold foreign exchange remains stable.
Fifth, the volume of China's foreign exchange reserves remained basically stable. By the end of June 2023, China's foreign exchange reserves totaled $3.1930 trillion yuan, $65.3 billion more than the end of 2022, mainly due to the combined effects of currency translation, asset price changes and other factors.
Moving forward, SAFE will follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. It will pursue progress while ensuring stability, uphold fundamental principles and break new ground. SAFE will pursue further reform and opening-up in the foreign exchange sector and prevent risks associated with external influences. It will ensure the security and circulation of foreign exchange reserves, while maintaining and increasing their value. It will also keep enhancing the capacity of foreign exchange management and leverage its enabling role in facilitating a new development paradigm and fostering high-quality development.
That concludes my introduction about the main statistics concerning China's foreign exchange receipts and payment data in the first half of 2023. Now, I'm happy to take questions from the media.
Xie Yingjun:
Everyone is welcome to pose questions. Before doing so, please let us know which news organization you represent.
