China’s central bank cut interest rates and made it easier on Wednesday for banks to increase lending and pump more money into the economy, in the most significant policy steps taken by Chinese officials to limit the impact of the trade war with the United States.
The central bank, the People’s Bank of China, cut short-term interest rates and the amount of funds banks have to hold in reserve in a series of 10 measures. In a series of steps intended to keep the economy moving and people spending, Chinese officials removed restrictions on auto financing firms and freed up more money for banks to lend for various government priorities, including scientific and technological innovation.
At a briefing of top financial officials, Pan Gongsheng, the governor of the central bank, said it was carrying out a “moderately loose” monetary policy in the face of a global economy “full of uncertainties, with intensified economic fragmentation and trade tensions disrupting global industry and supply chains.”
The announcement, billed as policies to stabilize markets, came shortly after Washington and Beijing announced that top officials from the Trump administration will meet with Chinese counterparts this week during a trip to Geneva. This will mark the first formal meeting about trade between the two countries since President Trump raised tariffs on Chinese imports to 145 percent almost a month ago.
The move sparked a retaliatory response from Beijing, which lifted its own tariffs on American imports to 125 percent. The standoff between the two countries has brought global trade to its knees, jeopardizing the outlook for the world’s two largest economies and many other countries.
Last week, China reported a sharp monthly slowdown in manufacturing activity, dragged down by a plunge in new orders of goods for export.
The CSI 300, an index of large companies traded in Shanghai and Shenzhen, inched 0.3 percent higher after the announcement, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 0.75 percent.
The impact of the measures announced Wednesday will be “positive but modest,” Capital Economics, a research firm, said in a note. The problem is that banks will be able to lend more money, but they might encounter lackluster demand from borrowers, the report said.
The Australian banking group ANZ said the support measures are a sign that the Chinese government is concerned about meeting its target of 5 percent economic growth in 2025. It said the announcement’s timing provides a “policy buffer” before the trade talks with the United States.
The central bank reduced its so-called reserve requirement ratio — the amount of money that the country’s commercial banks are required to hold as reserves — by half a percentage point, freeing up money that can be used for loans. This is expected to go into effect on May 15, according to state-owned media.
Beijing cut the ratio by half a percentage point in September as part of a package of measures to revive economic growth.
Mr. Pan, who had signaled in March that the central bank would take this step at some point during the year, said reducing the reserve ratio is expected to provide about $139 billion in long-term liquidity to the market.
The Chinese central bank also cut its benchmark seven-day interest rate to 1.4 percent from 1.5 percent, starting Thursday. It also lowered rates by a quarter point for a home buying program that offers more favorable mortgage rates than commercial loans.
Zixu Wang contributed reporting.
