Fiscal Policy and the Government Balance Sheet in China

In this paper, we present the most comprehensive estimates of China’s government balance sheet to date. Based on these estimates, we show how major shifts in fiscal policy over the last two decades have shaped the health of the public sector prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. We find that, at US$12.5 t...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lam, Waikei
Other Authors: Moreno Badia, Marialuz
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Washington, D.C. International Monetary Fund 2023
Series:IMF Working Papers
Subjects:
Online Access:
Collection: International Monetary Fund - Collection details see MPG.ReNa
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653 |a Public debt 
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653 |a Public finance & taxation 
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653 |a Fiscal Policy 
653 |a Debts, Public 
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653 |a Public financial management (PFM) 
653 |a Financial reporting, financial statements 
653 |a Structure and Scope of Government: General 
653 |a Economic & financial crises & disasters 
653 |a National Government Expenditures and Related Policies: Infrastructures 
653 |a Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise: General 
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653 |a Public sector 
653 |a Government business enterprises 
653 |a Economics: General 
653 |a Debt Management 
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653 |a Informal sector; Economics 
653 |a Fiscal policy 
653 |a Economic sectors 
653 |a Sovereign Debt 
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520 |a In this paper, we present the most comprehensive estimates of China’s government balance sheet to date. Based on these estimates, we show how major shifts in fiscal policy over the last two decades have shaped the health of the public sector prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. We find that, at US$12.5 trillion, China has the largest stock of financial assets in the world. However, its net financial worth as a percent of GDP—though still higher than the large majority of countries—has declined over the last decade. This trend can be traced back to the turn of the century when China undertook a major restructuring of its state-owned enterprises but left important shortcomings in the intergovernmental fiscal system unaddressed. Compounding these risks, reform momentum stalled in the aftermath of the global financial crisis leading to high leverage and falling profitability among state-owned enterprises