China lowers tariffs as trade opening advances

The law defined commercial banking and distinguished it from central-bank functions. State banks remained responsible for policy lending and carried non-performing loans, so financial specialization...

The corporate framework became operational, supporting limited-liability and shareholding structures. State firms became more market-facing without ending public ownership; restructuring could also...

The Fifth Plenum set priorities for 1996-2000, including structural adjustment and enterprise reform. Multi-year planning persisted, now coordinating market development and global competition with...

The law regulated insurers and contracts as financial services expanded. Market insurance diversified risk but was accessible unevenly by income, place and employment.

The 1996-2000 plan translated party priorities into a state program for growth and structural adjustment. Planning continued alongside markets, though aggregate targets could obscure unequal effects...

The move facilitated current international payments without opening the capital account. It advanced trade integration while preserving tools to manage cross-border finance and protect policy...

Tighter credit and investment controls lowered inflation while output continued to expand. Stabilization showed the state’s steering capacity, but financial restraint affected employment and local...

Deng’s death followed the 1992 restart and preceded deeper restructuring. Reform now ran through party leadership, planning bodies and administrative institutions, not one leader or a single market...

The handover restored Chinese sovereignty over a major financial and trading center under “one country, two systems.” Hong Kong deepened its role in mainland investment and export networks, linking...

After Thailand floated the baht, regional financial systems came under pressure. China maintained currency stability rather than devaluing, seeking to avoid a regional spiral and revealing the unequal...