Government Bond Burden
A government bond is a debt issued by a state, municipality or government agency. It generally makes periodic payments on the principal, known as coupons, and eventually repays the face value of the loan at maturity. The Chinese government has been taking on an increasing amount of debt since 1999, when the Chinese Communist Party began to implement comprehensive reforms in order to promote economic development. This growing debt has been caused by a combination of budget deficits, rising public investment, and increased government borrowing from the banking sector. The main goal of the government’s bond burden is to finance the large-scale infrastructure projects that China is aggressively pursuing, such as the construction of high-speed railways and the development of new urban areas.
In the past decade, China’s government bonds have increased from 10.3 trillion yuan ($1.53 trillion) to 16 trillion yuan ($2.41 trillion) from 2008 to 2018. This rapid increase in borrowing has presented serious economic and financial risks to the country. The government faces the risk of increased macro-economic instability, as debt-servicing payments require higher revenues to generate a surplus in order to cover interest payments, leaving less money for other public spending priorities such as education, healthcare and welfare. Furthermore, it also increases the risk of financial market fragmentation and capital flight, as bond issues can push domestic and international investors away from stocks and into debt markets.
The Chinese government is attempting to reduce its bond burden in order to achieve fiscal sustainability while pursuing its economic and infrastructure plans. However, it is necessary to find a way to finance these projects without incurring excessive debt. This could be achieved through the establishment of a national infrastructure bank or special infrastructure bonds that require investors to bear some of the risk associated with the projects, as well as the use of public-private partnerships to finance construction and operation of infrastructure. In addition, the government may also look to encourage private investors to enter the bond market by offering preferential tax rates or guarantees.
Through these measures, the Chinese government seeks to ensure that its plans for economic growth and development are achieved without incurring unsustainably large amounts of debt. By providing alternative financing options, such as infrastructure banks, special infrastructure bonds and public-private partnerships, the government hopes to encourage both domestic and foreign investment in state-funded initiatives. By doing so, China can reduce its bond burden and avoid economic and financial risks while continuing to pursue its ambitious economic plans.