RMB Internationalization and Its Implications for Financial and Monetary Cooperation in East Asia

This paper emphasizes the importance of the denomination of financial assets rather than trade invoicing as a long-term determinant of an international currency. China needs to liberalize and open its financial system and make the RMB fully convertible, and to adopt a moreflexible exchange rate system to speed up its currency internationalization, for which China could follow either a global or regional approach. The global approach is a riskier and more unpredictable strategy because it would demand a scope and timeframe of financial liberalization that is likely to be beyond China＇s institutional capacity over the coming decade. There are two options that could be taken in following the regional approach. One is creating an ASEAN＋ New 3 （the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, and Taiwan） RMB bloc and the other is liberalizing China＇s financial industries and internationalizing the RMB by playing a leading role in East Asia＇s economic integration within the framework of ASEAN＋ 3, This paper concludes that the latter is a more realistic and effective approach for China.     

China＇s Exchange Rate and Financial Repression： The Conflicted Emergence of the RMB as an International Currency

Instability in the worm dollar standard, as most recently manifested in the US Federal Reserve＇s near-zero interest rate policy, has caused consternation in emerging markets with naturally higher interest rates. China has been provoked into speeding RMB ＂internationalization ＂; that is, opening up domestic financial markets to reduce its dependence on the US dollar for invoicing trade and making international payments. However, despite rapid percentage growth in offshore financial markets in RMB, the Chinese authorities are essentially trapped into maintaining exchange controls （reinforced by financial repression in domestic interest rates） to avoid an avalanche of foreign capital inflows that would threaten inflation and asset price bubbles by driving nominal interest rates on RMB assets down further. Because a floating （appreciating） exchange rate could attract even more hot money inflows, the People＇s Bank of China should focus on keeping the yuan/dollar rate stable so as to encourage naturally high wage increases to help balance China ＂s international competitiveness. However, further internationalization of the RMB, as with the proposed Shanghai pilot free trade zone, is best deferred until world interest rates rise to more normal levels.     

Measuring Net Foreign Assets： The Case of China

This paper discusses two methods of measuring net foreign assets（NFA）： directly using the financial account and indirectly using the current account. The former method is found to be more accurate than the latter method. The paper also includes a detailed discussion of the valuation methodology. The results show that China＇s NFA are much lower than the cumulative current account surplus or the cumulative foreign exchange reserves. This leads to an underestimation of growth in foreign direct investment and an overestimation of the capacity of foreign exchange reserves to cope with possible withdrawals. Therefore, the Chinese Government should pay more attention to valuation issues to obtain more accurate measurement of NFA. Meanwhile, the Chinese monetary authority should relax its control on the foreign exchange settlement system, allow the private sector to hold a certain amount of foreign exchange, and encourage foreign assets to be denominated in RMB to solve structural problems, including entity and currency mismatch     

应对中国国际收支盈余：原因及措施

This paper discusses the importance of paying careful attention to China‘s large balance of payments surplus by elaborating the negative effects this surplus will have. After analyzing the causes for the continuous increase of the balance of payments surplus, some policy suggestions are provided. We suggest that the continuous increase of the balance of payments surplus should be mainly attributed to improper trade policy, the increasing inflow of hot money under the strong expectation for RMB‘s appreciation and the slow reform of the domestic financial system. In order to avoid severe external disequilibrium, China needs to reduce its excessive use of export stimulating measures, slow down the speed of liberalizing capital inflows, and keep the RMB exchange rate stable in the short run so as to reduce expectations of currency appreciation.     

Is Financial Development Another Source of Comparative Advantage？ Evidence from China

Using panel data for 29 provinces in China during 1990-2004, the present paper attempts to explore a possible link between financial development and China＇s foreign trade. Three measures of comparative advantage in manufactured goods have been applied in our study, including Balassa＇s revealed comparative advantage, the net manufactured export index, and the Michaely index. We also use four indicators of financial development to identify the different functions of regional financial development, and to determine both size and efficiency features of financial institutions. The estimation results suggest that besides factor endowments, foreign firms and infrastructure, financial development has a quantitatively large and robust effect on China ＇ s manufactured goods trade. Therefore, further reform of China＇s financial system should be encouraged to fully exploit the comparative advantage of China＇s foreign trade.     

China's New International Financial Strategy amid the Global Financial Crisis

The Chinese Government has stepped up its drive to reconstruct its international ftnancial strategy after the sub-prime crisis developed into a global financial crisis in 2008. The main aim of the strategy is to reduce the country＇s dependence on the US dollar in foreign trade, cross-border capital flows and foreign exchange reserve management. The strategy can be divided into three tiers： renminbi internationalization, regional monetary cooperation and reconstruction of the international monetary regime. So far, the Chinese Government has fared well in the application of all three tiers. We hoM that the Chinese Government should continue in the same direction in a coordinated manner despite various challenges it faces.     

Why China Should Invest Its Foreign Exchange Reserves in the Major US Banks

The subprime mortgage crisis and the resultant inflationary monetary policy in the USA have left the Chinese economy subject to four risks in particular. First, China＇s exports to the USA might continue to decline. Second in the medium term, the higher US inflation rate will lead to a weak dollar, which will negatively affect China＇s exports. Third in the long term, when the US Federal Reserve decreases money supply to control inflation, the US economy might enter another recession, hurting China ＂s exports further. Fourth, China＇s foreign exchange reserve assets might suffer heavy losses when the US inflation rate rises. Conventional foreign exchange investment strategies are insufficient for dealing with these four risks. Investment by China in the major US banks is suggested in the present paper. This strategy would mitigate if not eliminate all four risks. China could gain considerable financial returns on investments with only moderate risk.     

Effectiveness of China＇s Monetary Policy and Reform of Its Foreign Exchange System

I. Introduction The background of this research is related to continued disputes between China and its trading partners, and to the resulting international pressure on China’s foreign exchange (Forex) system. As the fastest growing economy in the world, China’s foreign trade has expanded at a fantastic pace and its trade surplus with the rest of the world is huge and rising. This remarkable success has encountered increasing criticism, whether correct or not, from the countries that feel t…     

Chinese Offshore RMB Currency and Bond Markets： The Role of Hong Kong

This paper discusses the role of Hong Kong in China’s grand scheme to build up the RMB as a global reserve currency.We highlight the economic importance of Hong Kong to China in terms of channeling foreign direct investment into China,some of which,in the future,will be denominated in the RMB.We discuss the development of China’s RMB currency swap and deposit markets in Hong Kong.These offshore markets enable the RMB to trade freely, setting the stage for the RMB to become fully convertible and allowing market forces to play a role in pricing the value of the RMB,and help in the development of the RMB-denominated bond(or dim sum bond)market in Hong Kong.Finally,we present evidence of the phenomenal growth of the dim sum bond market in Hong Kong,which can further enhance and strengthen the use of the RMB outside China.     

The Future of International Liquidity and the Role of China

This paper analyzes the consequences of the internationalization of the Chinese renminbi for the global monetary system and its possible ascension to reserve currency status. In an unstable and financially integrated world, governments＇ precautionary demand for reserve assets is likely to increase. But the world then risks a third crisis of the global reserve system, another re-run of the Triffin paradox, with an ever-growing emerging-world insurance demand loaded onto a small group of ever more strained net debt suppliers. Two ways to avoid this outcome would entail either expanding the supply of credible reserve liquidity to include some large emerging-market providers, or finding ways to manage emerging-market risks so as to moderate the perceived need for insurance, and China would have to loom large in both solutions. This paper analyzes the consequences of the internationalization of the Chinese renminbi for the global monetary system and its possible ascension to reserve currency status. It argues that if the process proves feasible, despite the difficult hurdles along the way, the results of internationalization would be constructive, both for China and the rest of the world. In today＇s global monetary system, the emergence of the renminbi （along with other developed- and emerging-market currencies） as a potential reserve currency would expand and diversify the supply of reserve assets, enabling central banks to maintain large buffers against financial shocks while allowing the United States to avoid issuing, as now, a large and growing bulk of the world＇s safe and liquid claims, and thus bearing the burden of an ever-expanding, and ultimately questionable, debt to the rest of the world.     

The rise of Renminbi in Asia: Evidence from Network Analysis and SWIFT dataset

The rise of Renminbi (RMB) is one of the significant changes of the international monetary system since the 2008 global financial crisis. Through its economic influence in trade and direct investment, China has promoted the international use of RMB in both the global market and the regional market of East Asia. This paper documents the progress of RMB internationalization with the settlement currency information from the SWIFT dataset. Specifically, we conduct a network analysis to study the spillover effects among USD, EUR, GBP, JPY and RMB. From October 2010 to February 2018, the influence of RMB is found to be minimal in the global market, but dominant within ASEAN+3, especially for transactions related with real economy. These results indicate that RMB has become an influential regional currency, but it remains far from a truly international currency with global prominence.     

Re‐pegging the renminbi to a basket: issues and implications

On 19 June 2010, the Chinese authorities announced that the renminbi (RMB) was henceforth to be managed with reference to a currency basket. Yet, it has subsequently quite closely followed the USD, although having appreciated gradually by 7.7 per cent up to the time of writing. The details of the composition of the basket have not been announced. Despite having appreciated against the USD, the RMB became first significantly weaker against a broad trade‐weighted basket, and the EUR and the JPY, and this situation held until September 2011. China has announced at international forums that the RMB exchange rate regime will be reformed further. We discuss here what a transparent basket peg could mean for China. To reduce the overall volatility of the RMB exchange rate, the weight for the EUR should be significantly increased, with the special drawing right basket being one option for practical implementation. This would also have a positive impact on the EU. China's currency reform has possible implications for its USD‐dominated asset holdings. Reducing them could trigger a further depreciation of the USD. The potentially costly consequences call for new rules for the global financial architecture. However, China's economic expansion will inevitably lead to a diminishing international role for the USD.     

全球外汇储备、金融控制与我国的金融安全

在金融全球化时代,美国通过金融控制主宰着世界经济。美国凭借美元“中心货币”地位而攫取的国际铸币税成为弥补其经常项目逆差的稳定来源,这是全球经济不平衡的根源;作为世界头号外汇储备大国,我国面临资产价格泡沫膨胀和外汇储备稳定性下降这两大金融安全问题;美元在全球外汇储备中的比重下降将直接导致美国国际铸币税的减少,致使经常项目逆差逐步丧失稳定的弥补途径,使其容易陷入金融危机,导致后布雷顿森林体系的崩溃;我国应通过美元储备的替代来减少国际铸币税剥削,同时推进人民币的国际化以分享国际铸币税收益。     

后危机时代人民币汇率的中美博弈与对策

通过界定美元和人民币在全球货币博弈格局中所处的不同位势,认为中国在与美国进行非合作型纳什博弈过程中,应坚持以我为主,与其展开一报还一报的重复博弈策略,而实证结果也显示,中国对美贸易账户顺差与人民币所谓被低估之间没有必然联系。     

美元本位与中美贸易顺差之谜

在传统理论中,本币升值会导致净出口减少。但是,自2005年以来,伴随着人民币持续升值,中美贸易顺差不但没有减少反而大幅上升,由此产生了所谓的"中美贸易顺差之谜"。本文借鉴新开放经济宏观经济学Redux模型,在动态一般均衡的分析框架下分析美元本位对中美贸易顺差的影响,通过数值模拟和经验检验发现,美元本位是导致"中美贸易顺差之谜"的重要原因。美元本位的作用越强,汇率的传递效应越弱,汇率变动对经常项目的影响越小。在汇率传递的不对称影响下,美元本位可能导致汇率对经常项目影响的逆转。     

主权货币国际化内在矛盾及其策略选择——兼论国际货币体系多元发展路线的历史逻辑

美元作为主权货币国际化,在适应并促进世界经济增长的同时,其内在矛盾成为世界经济失衡、汇率大幅波动以及流动性泛滥的重要因素。解决美国主权货币国际化助推的贸易赤字、财政赤字和巨额债务问题,需要美国政府财政政策、货币政策和产业政策的重大调整,还需要国际货币体系的重大改革,从美元主导的单一货币模式转变为多元模式。美元、欧元以及正在走向国际化的人民币共同构成代表和主导北美、欧洲、亚洲等三大经济圈、覆盖全球经济体的国际货币体系。研究主权货币国际化的内在矛盾以及国际货币体系多元发展路线的历史逻辑,对有效应对复杂多变的国际经济环境,加快人民币国际化进程具有理论和决策参考价值。     

货币错配与通货膨胀目标制的不可行性：针对我国现实

现阶段我国正面临人民币汇率稳定与物价稳定的"两难冲突",国内外一些学者主张我国应该采用通货膨胀目标制。从货币错配的角度探讨通货膨胀目标制在我国的可行性表明,由于存在较严重的货币错配及特殊的国情,现阶段我国尚不具备实行通货膨胀目标制的条件,短期内,通货膨胀目标制在我国并不具有可行性,货币政策适合以货币供应数量和价格作为混合使用的政策调控目标。