习近平接受《华尔街日报》书面采访

8. Your government is engaged with the International Monetary Fund to have the RMB included in the official basket of reserve currencies. The devaluation in August was seen as a step toward a more flexible exchange rate, but also spooked global markets. Will China fully open its capital account to make the yuan a free convertible currency? How concerned are you about declines in China's foreign currency reserves and capital flight?
《华尔街日报》：中国政府正在就人民币纳入国际货币基金组织储备货币篮子同国际货币基金组织进行讨论。今年8月人民币汇率的贬值也被看作是迈向更为灵活汇率形成机制的重要举措，但此举同时也吓坏了全球市场。中国是否会完全放开资本账户，使人民币成为能够自由兑换的货币？您是否担心中国外汇储备的下降以及资本外逃？

XI:China has been working to improve market-based RMB exchange rate regime. Recent measures to improve the quotation of the RMB central parity is a case in point, as it gives greater say to the market in deciding the exchange rate. Given the complexities in the current international economic scene and financial market and the apparent divergence in market makers' expectations of the future trend of the RMB exchange rate, there had been a long-standing gap between the central parity and market exchange rate of the RMB. With improvements to the quotation of the RMB central parity, the RMB central parity will better respond to supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets, and systemically avert the sustained large gap between the RMB central parity and market exchange rate. Since the quotation of RMB central parity was improved on Aug. 11, initial progress has been made in correcting the deviation. Given the current economic and financial conditions at home and abroad, there is no basis for sustained depreciation of the RMB. Reform of the RMB exchange rate formation regime will continue in the direction of market operation.
习近平：中国一直在完善人民币汇率市场化形成机制。这次完善人民币汇率中间价报价就是其中一步，加大了市场决定汇率的力度。当前，国际经济金融形势复杂，做市商对人民币汇率走势预期明显分化，使得人民币汇率中间价和市场汇率出现了较长时间的偏离。完善中间价报价使中间价形成更加参考外汇市场供求关系，从机制上防止中间价和市场汇率持续大幅偏离。8月11日中间价报价完善以来，偏差矫正己初见成效。从国际国内经济金融形势看，人民币汇率不存在持续贬值的基础。人民币汇率形成机制改革会继续朝更加市场化的方向迈进。

Chinaput forward the goal of convertibility of the RMB under the capital account back in the early 1990s. Over the past 20 years and more, China has been working toward this goal. Currently, there are only very few transactions that are still banned under the RMB capital account. China is advancing the convertibility of the RMB under the capital account in a steady and orderly manner.
中国早在上世纪90年代初期就提出了实现资本项目可兑换的目标。20多年来，中国一直在朝着资本项目可兑换方向努力。目前，人民币资本项目完全不开放的交易已经不多，中国正在稳步有序向前推进人民币资本项目可兑换相关工作。

There has been a recent drop in China's foreign reserves. This actually reflects improvement to the mix of local currency as well as foreign exchange assets and liabilities of domestic banks, enterprises and individuals. There are three main reasons: First, some assets in foreign exchanges were transferred from the central bank to domestic banks, enterprises and individuals, including an increase of US$56.9 billion in the balance of foreign reserve deposits of domestic banks in the first eight months of this year, with a US$27 billion increase in August alone. Second, outbound investment by domestic enterprises has grown rapidly. Third, domestic enterprises and other market entities are reducing foreign financing steadily, which helps reduce risks of high leverage operation and currency mismatch. These changes are normal capital flow, which is moderate and manageable. Foreign investors who aim at long-term gains are still investing in China. China's foreign exchange reserves remain abundant and is still very large by international standard. With improvement to the RMB exchange rate regime and progress in RMB internationalization, it is quite normal that China's foreign reserves may increase or decrease, and there is no need to overreact to it.
近期，中国外汇储备余额下降，主要反映了境内银行、企业、个人等本外币资产负债结构的优化调整。主要有三个原因：一是部分外汇资产由央行转向境内银行、企业等机构及个人持有，如今年前8个月境内银行各项外汇存款余额增加569亿美元，其中8月份增加270亿美元。二是境内企业“走出去”对外投资增长较快。三是境内企业等市场主体稳步减少境外融资，有助于降低高杠杆经营、货币错配等风险。这些变化都属于正常的资本流动，在适度可控的范围内。真正以长期投资为目的的外方投资者仍在进入中国。中国外汇储备依然充裕，在世界范围内仍属于很高水平。随着人民币汇率形成机制不断完善以及人民币国际化推进，中国外汇储备有所增减是正常的，不必过分担忧。