Q: The latest data on foreign exchange reserves disseminated by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) show that China's foreign exchange reserves as of the end of May 2019 rose by USD 6.1 billion month on month. Could you tell us why such a change occurred? What would you say about the future trends of foreign exchange reserves?

A: As at the end of May 2019, China posted USD 3.101 trillion in foreign exchange reserves, up by USD 6.1 billion or 0.2% month on month.

In May, the US dollar index and global bond index rose as multiple factors such as escalating global trade friction and uncertainty over Brexit pushed up the risk aversion. Due to the combined impact of exchange rate translation and asset price changes, China’s foreign exchange reserves rose slightly.

Since the beginning of this year, China's economy has been stable on the whole and moderately improving. The supply and demand of China's foreign exchange market have been basically balanced. Cross-border capital flows through major channels remained stable, and foreign exchange reserves grew steadily.

Going forward, there will be still many political and economic uncertainties in the world, and the international financial market may become increasingly volatile. However, thanks to the adequate resilience and huge potential of China’s economy as well as the constantly improved capabilities of coping with external shocks, the long-term positive trend of China’s economic development will not change. China's sound economic fundamentals will provide strong support for the smooth operation of the foreign exchange market and provide a solid foundation for the overall stability of the foreign exchange reserves.