China's Central Bank Faces a $600 Billion Test

  • More than 3 trillion yuan of MLF loans to come due this year
  • Collateral pressures will rise, Citic economist Ming says
Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg
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People’s Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan’s shift toward new tools to steer the economy has swollen a targeted lending program to such a level that outstanding funds are now worth more than the annual output of the Malaysian and Danish economies combined.

The Medium-term Lending Facility has increased to 4.1 trillion yuan ($594 billion), with 3.2 trillion yuan coming due from April to December this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. About 2 trillion yuan matured in the same period last year.