Download or read book Putting the Cart Before the Horse? Capital Account Liberalization and Exchange Rate Flexibility in China written by Mr.Eswar Prasad and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2005-01-01 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper reviews the issues involved in moving towards greater exchange rate flexibility and capital account liberalization in China. A more flexible exchange rate regime would allow China to operate a more independent monetary policy, providing a useful buffer against domestic and external shocks. At the same time, weaknesses in China’s financial system suggest that capital account liberalization poses significant risks and should be a lower priority in the short term. This paper concludes that greater exchange rate flexibility is in China’s own interest and that, along with a more stable and robust financial system, it should be regarded as a prerequisite for undertaking a substantial liberalization of the capital account.