Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund is seeking approval to invest up to $5bn in Chinese stocks and bonds, which would make it the biggest foreign investor in China’s capital markets.
Beijing keeps a tight grip on capital flows across its borders, and foreign institutions that are seeking to buy stocks or bonds must obtain a special quota. The upper limit is currently set at $1bn, which would thwart Qatar’s plans. But Chinese regulators are considering lifting that cap in order to attract more foreign investment and to further their strategy of gradually opening the country’s capital account.
Reports of the Qatari application were touted in Chinese state media yesterday as a sign of foreign investors’ confidence in the Chinese economy.