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October 12, 2016

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Economy 鈥榖etter than expected鈥

Source: Agencies | October 12, 2016, Wednesday | Print Edition

CHINA’S economy performed better than expected in the third quarter and the country’s debt risks are under control, Premier Li Keqiang said yesterday.

“China’s economy in the third quarter not only extended growth momentum in the first half but showed many positive changes,” Li said in the speech in Macau that was broadcast live on state television.

Key indicators such as factory output, company profits and investment rebounded, he said, ahead of China’s release of third-quarter gross domestic product data on October 19.

More than 10 million new urban jobs were created in the first nine months, with the survey-based jobless rate falling below 5 percent in September, he said, while acknowledging that the economy still faces downward pressure.

China will be able to achieve its main economic targets this year and maintain medium to high-speed growth, he said.

The government is aiming for annual economic growth of 6.5-7 percent this year, compared with 6.9 percent in 2015, the slowest expansion in a quarter of a century.

Despite a rocky start and weak exports, China’s economy grew 6.7 percent in the first half, buoyed by higher government infrastructure spending and a housing market frenzy which is beginning to raise fears of overheating.

Li said the government will take effective measures to ensure the stable and healthy development of the property market, and will encourage cities to set their own real estate policies.

More than a dozen cities including Shanghai and Beijing have tightened restrictions on property purchases in recent weeks to cool prices.

China’s debt risks are under control, Li said, but the government will take steps to reduce high debt levels of non-financial firms to help ward off financial risks.

Non-performing loans are rising but the banking sector will be cushioned by ample liquidity and sufficient bad-loan provisions, he said.

S&P Global said yesterday that rising debt levels will worsen the credit profiles of China’s top 200 companies this year, requiring the country’s banks to raise as much as US$1.7 trillion in capital by 2020 to cover a likely surge in bad loans.

On Monday, China unveiled guidelines to reduce rising corporate debt levels, such as encouraging mergers and acquisitions and debt-for-equity swaps.

Debt is one of China’s biggest challenges, with the country’s total debt load rising to 250 percent of gross domestic product.

The premier also reaffirmed the government’s goal of developing the country’s capital markets to help reduce the reliance on bank lending.

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