The State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) has recently released the preliminary data on the balance of payments for the second quarter and the first half of 2020. The SAFE deputy administrator and press spokesperson Wang Chunying answered media questions on relevant issues.
Q: Could you brief us on the characteristics of the balance of payments for the first half of 2020?
A: According to the preliminary data on the balance of payments, China registered a surplus of US$ 85.9 billion under the current account in the first half of 2020, which accounted for 1.3% of the GDP and continued to operate within the reasonable range. The direct investment recorded a net inflow, while the two-way capital flows remained active on the securities market.
Firstly, the surplus in trade in goods increased year on year. In the first half of 2020, the surplus of trade in goods under balance of payments stood at US$ 184.4 billion, up by 2% year on year. Specifically, the surplus in trade in goods was US$ 23.1 billion in the first quarter, and US$ 161.3 billion in the second quarter, indicating that China’s economy has been steadily recovering, and the resumption of work and production has improved month on month.
Secondly, the deficit in trade in services narrowed year on year. China registered a deficit in trade in services of US$ 76.5 billion in the first half of 2020, down by 41% year on year. Specifically, the deficit in travel was US$ 61.7 billion, down by 44% year on year, which was mainly attributed to sharp decline in outbound travel due to the pandemic. The deficit in transport was US$ 19.1 billion, down by 31% year on year, mainly due to a drop in the imports under trade in goods.
Thirdly, direct investment continued to register a surplus, and the two-way capital flows on the securities market remained active. In the first half of 2020, China posted a surplus of US$ 18.7 billion under direct investment, of which, outbound direct investment (ODI) stood at US$ 47.2 billion, and foreign direct investment (FDI) was US$ 65.9 billion, both remaining basically stable. In the securities market, the net inflow of overseas investment in domestic securities exceeded US$ 60 billion in the second quarter, representing a historically high level and demonstrating strong attractiveness of renminbi-denominated assets. China’s investment in foreign securities also maintained a certain scale.
Overall, China’s balance of payments remained in the balanced range in the first half of this year. At present, China has made great achievements in terms of both epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development. China has continued its efforts in optimizing economic structure and deepening its reform and opening-up, and such advantages in fundamentals provide favorable conditions for China to maintain equilibrium in balance of payments in the second half of the year.