End-June debt ratio up 38.5% 
2019-08-29
The Chinese government’s leverage ratio edged up in the second quarter of 2019 amid efforts to support economic growth and improve weak links.
   The end-June debt ratio for the government rose to 38.5 percent, up 0.8 percentage points from the end of March and 1.5 percentage points from the end of 2018, according to a report released on Tuesday by the National Institution for Finance & Development, a government think tank.
   The pickup was mainly driven by local governments’ debt ratio, which rose to 22 percent at the end of June from 20.4 percent at the end of 2018. Debt ratio of the central government dipped 0.04 percentage points during the period, it said.
