The head of China’s biggest bank has warned that bad loans will inevitably rise and weaker lenders will be wiped out as the government relaxes its grip on the economy.
But Jiang Jianqing, chairman of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the country’s largest lender by assets, also hit back at those foreign critics who have raised questions about the resilience of China’s banks after the lending spree that powered the country through the 2008 global financial crisis. ICBC was prepared for the challenges and should not be held to impossibly high standards, he said.
“You shouldn’t place such high demands on other people’s children,” he said. “You should look after your own children.”