Xinhua carried an article that Beijing Youth Daily had originally published. The article said that People’s Bank published financial statistics showing that, by the end of June, the total national savings in China had reached 1.009 quadrillion yuan (US$160 trillion). This was the first time it broke the 1 quadrillion mark. In the first half of 2013, total savings grew 9,090 trillion (US$1,480 trillion), up 1,710 trillion (US$278 trillion) compared to 2012. Specifically, personal saving grew 4,139 trillion (US$674 trillion) and savings for the non-financial entities grew 2,320 trillion (US$378 trillion). The article disclosed that growth in government and business entities has propelled the growth in national savings; whereas personal savings, as a percentage of the national savings, has been declining over the past ten years. The article stated, “It is an indication that the public funding allocated to education and health areas are far less than desired thereby pushing the general public to find ways to come up with "preventive savings" themselves.
As to the reason for the growth in personal savings, the article pointed out that, first, people are reluctant to spend money because many still receive a low income; second, the government provides insufficient funding for the education, medical, and housing areas, which forces residents to have their own “preventive savings.”
The article called the imbalance of the saving ratio a key issue to be addressed in income distribution reform.
Source: Xinhua, July 21, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2013-07/21/c_116622492.htm