TNAG-1873-FCO40-2661-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-China-1989 — Page 62

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

GF 323

CONFIDENTIAL # 機密

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13.

1988, China's coastal provinces approved 3,684 foreign-funded projects involving pledged foreign investment of US$3.33 billion, 222% and 63.3% more than the respective levels in the same period of 1987. Guangdong and Fujian accounted for 62.5% of these projects (or 2,303)

and 52.6% of the pledged foreign investment (or US$1.75

billion).

15.

(d) Financial developments in China

(i) Loans and money supply

In an attempt to combat the high rate of

inflation, the Chinese authorities tightened their control

over loans and currency issue in the fourth quarter of

1988. As a result of the credit squeeze, a number of

industrial enterprises which were heavily dependent on bank

borrowing for their working capital were reported to have

(13) had liquidity problems

Many enterprises reportedly

turned to trust companies and civilian credit associations for finance (14), although these institutions charged much

higher interest rates. While they can be seen as the

fore-runners of self-financing financial institutions

operating on commercial basis, at present their operations

add an element of instability to China's financial system

because of inadequate prudential supervision and central

(13) In some localities, branches of Agricultural Bank of

China (ABOC) were reported to have issued IOU notes instead of cash for the state purchase of agricultural crops. In late November 1988, probably because of the urgent need for agricultural

purchases, the PBOC was reported to have increased its lending to the ABOC.

(14) According to one estimate, there were more than 700

trust, finance and leasing companies and around 1,800 urban credit associations at the end of August 1988.

CONFIDENTIAL **

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