China PBOC Chief Cites Credit Risk While Reassuring on Growth
- Zhou sees 'relatively big' downward pressure in inventory
- Repeats monetary policy is prudent with a slight easing bias
Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), attends a news conference in Beijing, China, on Thursday, March 12, 2015. China's central bank is pushing ahead with plans to liberalize interest rates even as the economy slows, a reform that would effectively end a dual-track rate system that has seen savers subsidize decades of investment-fueled growth.
Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/BloombergPeople’s Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan warned banks about increased credit risk amid rising real estate prices in the biggest cities, while adding the country can achieve its economic growth targets without too much monetary stimulus.
Property prices have begun to diverge severely from values in less-populated areas, Zhou said at a briefing in Beijing. He said the country faces “relatively big’ downward pressure from efforts to eliminate excess housing inventory, which may suppress prices nationwide.