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Foreign Exchange Accumulation and the Entrapment of Chinese Monetary Power: Towards a Balanced Growth Regime?

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  • Mattias Vermeiren

Abstract

This article criticises the notion that China's foreign exchange reserves have strengthened its monetary power. While some scholars have argued that China's international monetary influence has been 'entrapped' by the domestic interests of its export sector, a one-sided focus on the export sector fails to identify the significant constraints on its macroeconomic autonomy. This article proposes an extension of the concept of entrapment that draws attention to the key role of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and their domestic fixed-asset investment in its growth regime: China's external monetary dependency - which is understood as both export dependency and the need to maintain foreign exchange accumulation - has been caused by a disparity between fixed-asset investment and private consumption that reflects a redistribution of income from the household sector to the SOE sector. In particular, I expose the SOE sector's rising interests in foreign exchange accumulation by uncovering a mutually reinforcing dynamic between China's external monetary dependence and the financial repression of its banking system. By entrenching an investment-led growth regime that provides key benefits the SOE sector, this dynamic is found to have seriously constrained the macroeconomic policy autonomy of Chinese authorities to rebalance growth away from investments and exports towards private consumption.

Suggested Citation

  • Mattias Vermeiren, 2013. "Foreign Exchange Accumulation and the Entrapment of Chinese Monetary Power: Towards a Balanced Growth Regime?," New Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(5), pages 680-714, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:cnpexx:v:18:y:2013:i:5:p:680-714
    DOI: 10.1080/13563467.2013.736958
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cheung, Yin-Wong & Chinn, Menzie D. & Qian, XingWang, 2012. "Are Chinese trade flows different?," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(8), pages 2127-2146.
    2. repec:zbw:bofitp:2012_014 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Barry Naughton, 2007. "The Chinese Economy: Transitions and Growth," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262640643, April.
    4. Ronald McKinnon, 2011. "Worldwide Inflation and International Monetary Reform: Exchange Rates or Interest Rates?," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 19(5), pages 1-16, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hager, Sandy Brian, 2016. "A Global Bond: Explaining the Safe-Haven Status of US Treasury Securities," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, pages 1-24.

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