China’s central bank and financial regulators will hold a press briefing on Wednesday to discuss policies aimed at stabilizing markets, as the country’s economic outlook comes under increasing threat from US tariffs.
Officials from the People’s Bank of China, the National Financial Regulatory Administration and the China Securities Regulatory Commission will speak at 9 a.m. local time about “a financial policy package to stabilize market and expectations,” according to a government notice on Tuesday.
The briefing will be closely watched as the country faces intensifying pressure from US tariffs and growing concerns over its economic outlook. With President Donald Trump’s 145% duties threatening to hurt exports, expectations are mounting that Beijing may unveil new measures to steady the economy and shore up confidence.
Without stronger stimulus, growth could begin to falter from the second quarter, putting China’s official goal of expanding around 5% this year at risk. Markets will be tuned in for any signs of fresh policy tools, particularly after top leaders pledged to set up new monetary instruments and financing support for key sectors like technology, trade and domestic consumption.
The last-minute notice for the briefing echoed the lead-up to a major press conference in September, when the PBOC Governor Pan Gongsheng unveiled a series of significant easing measures to spur growth and lift markets. That event, also attended by the heads of the NFRA and the CSRC, helped turn around market sentiment and triggered a sharp rally in stocks.
So far, Beijing has responded to the latest trade war with restraint, avoid large-scale stimulus even as officials continue to stress that they have ample tools at their disposal. Policymakers are likely taking the time to assess the impact of tariffs, aiming to preserve flexibility should conditions worsen. In a meeting late April, the decision-making Politburo vowed to “fully prepare” emergency plans to cope with rising external shocks.
Monetary easing will be in focus. The PBOC hasn’t cut the reserve requirement ratio — the amount of cash banks must hold in reserves — since September despite widespread expectations. That move came alongside a policy rate reduction. The central bank has pledged in recent months to lower interest rates and the RRR if economic and financial conditions at home and abroad justify it.
There are signs that the trade war is already weighing on activity and sentiment in manufacturing and services, with purchasing managers’ index surveys pointing to a slowdown in April. Even so, trade flows held up last month, indicating the impact of US tariffs has yet to show up in actual shipments.
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