Trump administration officials are discussing ways to limit U.S. investors’ portfolio flows into China in a move that would have repercussions for billions of dollars in investment pegged to major indexes, according to people familiar with the internal deliberations.
For instance, hundreds of Chinese businesses have been added into the MSCI Inc.’s indexes since last year — raising questions from Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio and others on Capitol Hill who are advocating for stronger investment restraints and greater scrutiny for Chinese companies in stock indexes and U.S. pension funds. Bloomberg Barclays began adding Chinese bonds to its flagship Global Aggregate Bond Index in April.
The National Economic Council has been chairing meetings on the issue and the Treasury Department and National Security Council are involved as well, people familiar with the discussions said. While action is not imminent, according to the people, Trump’s advisers are talking through the various options and their expected impact.
The push to unilaterally limit Chinese access to American capital is spearheaded by White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, one of Trump’s most hawkish aides, and officials at the NSC, but people involved in the process say even more dovish advisers have rallied behind some of their suggestions.An NSC spokesman and Navarro declined to comment, and Pottinger didn’t respond to a request for comment. Spokesmen for the White House and the Treasury also declined to comment.
Next Big PhaseRoger Robinson, president and CEO of RWR Advisory Group who has been working on the issue since the ’90s, said this type of pressure can make a difference. “Treating the unequal financial dimensions and undisclosed material risks associated with China’s presence in the U.S. capital markets will likely represent the next big phase in the bilateral economic relationship,” he said.
“The Frankenstein monster that we have to destroy is created by the West. It’s created by our capital,” Bannon said at the Sept. 12 briefing.