OREANDA-NEWS. June 06, 2013. China’s State Council recently called for a detailed plan to achieve full convertibility for the yuan. This marks the start of profound and beneficial changes that will resonate both inside and outside China.

Premier Li Keqiang’s commitment to full convertibility under the capital account – a move that will free up two-way investment flows – and related reform of the interest rate and exchange-rate mechanisms is the opening of a new economic chapter.

Externally the changes show the emergence of renminbi as a viable new investment option tied to the world’s most dynamic economy, and eventually an alternative reserve currency. The internationalisation of renminbi will in the long term change how traders and financial houses structure their foreign exchange exposure and how central banks and governments formulate fiscal and monetary policy.

But in the near term, the most profound changes will be felt within China. As Premier Li implied, to achieve capital account convertibility, China’s interest and exchange rates will have to be set by market forces to maintain balance in capital flows in and out of the country and instil confidence among international investors.

Exchange-rate reform is relatively straightforward. Although RMB currently floats within a managed band against the dollar, most analysts believe that it is at, or close to, its market rate. Chinese exporters have learned to live with a cheaper dollar and are unlikely to be affected by any new regulatory regime.

Interest-rate reform is more controversial. China’s low deposit rates have provided a cheap source of capital for investment; substantial interest margins have given Chinese banks considerable latitude in lending; and it has made it significantly less costly for the government to sterilise inflows to curb inflationary pressure.

But the country will reap substantial benefits from interest-rate reform. Chinese savers will get a better return; a more competitive market will promote more efficient allocation of capital; and it will encourage retail savers to return to the formal banking sector rather than seeking yield in the less-regulated corners of the shadow banking system.

The policy of combining steady domestic reforms with encouragement for the offshore market will gradually encourage convergence.

Offshore RMB clearing centres, led by Hong Kong, Taipei, and most recently Singapore, along with international banks such as HSBC, will have a key role to play in the integration of renminbi into the global financial markets.

The offshore market today is relatively small, but it is growing fast. Currently about 12 per cent of China’s trade is settled in renminbi, but we expect that to grow to more than 30 per cent by 2015. As more international clients settle in RMB, the offshore liquidity pool will grow, as the Eurodollar market did in the 1960s and 1970s.

Renminbi is starting to make its impact felt, both within China and globally, but it is with the opening of China’s capital account that its full effect will become apparent.