China's disguised bank loans

Synopsis

Concern is growing that China's banks have lent much more money than official figures reveal, by disguising loans to fool the regulators.

Beijing has been trying to force the banks to cut back on lending, to stop the economy overheating. But some banks got around the rules by secretly moving risky loans off their balance sheets, transforming them into complex investments which resemble derivatives.

Lesley Curwen talks to Charlene Chu of the credit ratings agency, Fitch, which first drew global attention to the problem. Charlene Chu calls the official figures 'deceiving' and she warns,'without doubt this is the most disturbing thing we have seen in the Chinese banking sector for some years'.

Plus, we hear from Karen Rose of the Internet Society about a new attempt to make Kenya's internet access cheaper and faster.

And our new commentator, the British author and management consultant Peter York, reflects on whether too much of business life is 'scripted', with staff reading out someone else's words.