China Lowers Bank Reserve Requirement in Boost to Flagging Economy

Voice of America
18 Mar 2023, 08:06 GMT+10

Beijing - China's central bank on Friday announced a cut to the amount of cash banks are required to hold in reserve for the first time this year, in a move designed to shore up an economy weakened by the pandemic.

The People's Bank of China (PBOC) said it would cut the reserve requirement ratio by 0.25 percentage point starting March 27, which would allow commercial banks to lend more to businesses.

This would bring the weighted average reserve requirement ratio for financial institutions to around 7.6%, the central bank said.

The PBOC said the latest cut was intended to 'improve the level of service to the real economy.'

The rate was last cut in November, when the world's second-largest economy was heavily hit by strict COVID-19 curbs.

China is still grappling with the fallout of its zero-COVID policy, which included harsh lockdowns and mass business closures, hitting supply chains and employment.

The country has set an economic growth target of 'around 5%' for 2023, one of the lowest in decades.

Authorities reported a rebound in retail sales in January and February, after the country abandoned zero-COVID controls and a massive exit wave of infections quickly subsided.

But Premier Li Qiang has warned that the growth target was 'not easy' to achieve as a grinding property crisis continued and global demand slowed.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Orlando Echo.

More Information

76 ℉

Fair in Orlando/Executive

International

Section

Michigan man sentenced to prison term for keeping dead wife in freezer

MOUNT PLEASANT, Michigan: This week, a judge sentenced a Michigan man who kept his dead wife's body in a freezer ...

US CDC says life expectancy for newborns in 2022 gained a year

ATLANTA, Georgia: After two consecutive years of declines mainly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, babies born in the U.S. in ...

Three more Israeli troops die in Gaza conflict, death toll hits 400

The number of soldiers in the Israeli army killed in the current Israel-Hamas war has topped 400. Three hundred and ...

Detention extended by Russian court of WSJ's US reporter

MOSCOW, Russia: A Russian court has extended the detention of Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. reporter for the Wall Street Journal, ...

Casualties mount again in Gaza as bombardments gather pace

Israel intensified its deadly bombardment of the Gaza Strip Saturday as renewed fighting with Hamas entered a second day following ...

Nikki Haley's 2024 Republican presidential bid endorsed by Koch Group

ARLINGTON, Virginia: This week, the conservative U.S. political network Americans for Prosperity Action (AFP Action), led by billionaire Charles Koch, ...