Chinese Regulators Scramble to Stabilize the Stock Market

Amidst signs of panic selling and forced liquidation of leveraged trades, China's blue-chip CSI300 Index fell nearly 5% last week to its lowest level since early 2019, prompting many Chinese investors to vent their frustration and anger via social media, including the blog account of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. The watchdog also announced that it will crack down on ill-intentioned short selling, attract more investment by long-term capital, and earnestly listen to investors' voices. China's securities regulator pledged to prevent abnormal market fluctuations after Chinese stocks plunged to five-year lows, but provided no specific measures.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said in a statement on Sunday it will step up implementing market stabilisation measures, "steady expectations and confidence, and adamantly ward off abnormal market fluctuations." The CSRC also vowed to crack down on misbehaviours such as market manipulation, vicious short selling, insider trading and fraudulent issuance of shares.

In addition, the CSRC said it will "listen carefully to the voices of investors, and respond to their concerns in a timely matter."

The CSRC has previously announced a series of measures to support a languishing stock market - including restrictions on share sales by company shareholders, curbs on short selling and slower pace of listings - but has so far failed to stem market slides.