The Western Financial Crisis: an Opportunity for China?

Since mid-2007 we have been witnessing a financial crisis that originated in the now notorious “subprime crisis” which developed in the United States in 2006/07. Since most of the financial institutions concerned have international ramifications, the crisis spread, damaging the confidence of many players in the global financial system, and it continues to inspire fear regarding its possible consequences.
Since the Chinese economy is closely linked to that of the USA, on account of the many letters of credit issued in dollars, American Treasury bonds held by China and export flows to the United States, is there a risk that this economic giant will be affected by the current crisis? We should not assume so, argues Philippe Delalande: on the one hand, the conditions for a property slump, followed by a banking and stock-market crisis, do not seem present in China; on the other, the current global crisis might well enable that country to reduce its pace of growth and opt for a path of “harmonious development”, provided that inflation does not take off.