S&P Global Ratings affirmed its unsolicited 'A+' long-term and 'A-1' short-term sovereign credit ratings on the People's Republic of China. The outlook is stable.
It said the stable outlook reflects S&P's view that China will maintain its robust headline GDP growth and improved fiscal performance in the next three to four years.
The credit rating agency expects per capita real GDP growth to stay above 5% annually, even as public investment growth slows further. In addition, it anticipates the stricter implementation of restrictions on subnational government off-budget borrowing to lead to a declining trend in the fiscal deficits, as measured by changes in general government debt in terms of GDP.
S&P may raise its ratings on China if credit growth slows significantly and is sustained well below the current rates while real GDP growth remains healthy. In this scenario, the agency believes risks to financial stability and medium-term growth prospects will lessen.