Comparative Performance of Chinese Commercial Banks: Analysis, Findings and Policy Implications

Abstract

This paper investigates the financial performance of Chinesebanks by using financial ratio analysis. The analysis shows that the lowprofitability of state-owned commercial banks results from their higherratio for non-interest expenses and lower interest margin thanjoint-equity banks. The much lower profit margin in state-owned banksdraws down their levels of ROE and ROA, even with the offsetting effectsof more efficient utilization of their assets and higher financialleverage. Although data limitations prevent us from studying the riskprofiles of the banks in detail, it is clear that these Chinese banksgenerated lower returns with higher financial risks than their Westerncounterparts. The paper concludes with a discussion of major issuesaffecting Chinese bank performance. Significant difficulties encounteredin assessing bank performance are also identified anddiscussed.