The State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) has recently released the data on foreign exchange settlement and sales by banks as well as cross-border receipts and payments by non-banking sectors in May 2023. The SAFE Deputy Administrator and Press Spokesperson Wang Chunying answered media questions on China's foreign exchange receipts and payments of May 2023.

Q: Could you brief us on China's foreign exchange receipts and payments in May 2023?

A: The supply and demand of the foreign exchange market remained generally balanced. In May, the surpluses registered by foreign exchange settlement and sales by banks and cross-border receipts and payments by non-banking sectors (including enterprises and individuals) were USD 3.3 billion and USD 1.9 billion, respectively. Considering other supply and demand factors, China's foreign exchange market's overall supply and demand remained balanced.

Market expectations remained stable, and transactions in China's foreign exchange market were conducted rationally and orderly. In May, the foreign exchange settlement rate (the ratio of foreign exchange sold by customers to banks to foreign exchange received by customers) reached 72%, roughly the same as the previous month. It reflects that the willingness of market entities to settle foreign exchange remained at a near one-year high, with an overall trend of engaging in rational trading by selling foreign exchange at high levels. Meanwhile, the foreign exchange sales rate (the ratio of foreign exchange purchased by customers from banks to foreign-related foreign exchange payments made by customers) reached 70.4%, down 0.7 percentage points compared to the previous month, indicating that the willingness of market entities to purchase foreign exchange remained generally stable.

Cross-border capital flows through major channels were conducted rationally and orderly. Under the current account, the surplus registered by trade in goods in foreign-related receipts and payments increased by 23% compared to the previous month, contributing to the stabilization of cross-border capital flows. However, due to the slow recovery of cross-border travel by residents, there was an increase in the deficit in service trade in terms of foreign-related receipts and payments. Under the capital account, China continued to see a net inflow of foreign direct investment, while the domestic bond market attracted more foreign investment, indicating further improvement. Additionally, domestic entities' outbound direct investment and portfolio investment activities continued to be consistent and well-organized.

Looking ahead, it is anticipated that China's economy will continue to grow with the help of well-coordinated macro policies, further strengthening its position in the foreign exchange market. The US dollar is unlikely to continue to rise as major developed economies finish their cycle of tightening monetary policy, and any associated spillover effects will progressively fade.

Additionally, China's foreign exchange market has proven to be more resilient and better able to adapt to changes in the outside environment, resulting in stable and well-managed cross-border capital flows in China.