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The Securities Settlement Systems (SSS) in the People's Republic of China (PRC) are organized around three different types of markets, which are the bond market, the corporate securities market, and the futures market. The China Government Depositary and Clearing Corporation Limited (CCDC) is the SSS as well as the central securities depository (CSD) for bonds. The China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited (SD and C) is the central counterparty (CCP), SSS, as well as the CSD for all instruments traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) and Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE). The four futures exchanges have their own clearing and settlement departments, which offer the function of a CCP. The CCDC, SD and C, and Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE), Dalian Commodities Exchange (DCE), and Zhengzhou Commodities Exchange (ZCE) operate important securities and derivatives settlement systems both, due to the large volume and value of transactions and the fact that they support key financial sector markets (interbank bond market, stock exchanges and futures). The assessment of the bonds market-CCDC system against the Recommendations for Securities Settlement Systems (RSSS) concludes that the system observes (observed or broadly observed) thirteen of the 19 recommendations, being one not applicable. The assessment of the stock exchanges-SD and C system against the RSSS concludes that the system observes (observed or broadly observed) seventeen of the 19 recommendations. The assessment of the commodities futures markets-SHFE system against the Recommendations for Central Counterparties (RCCP) concludes that the system observes (observed or broadly observed) eleven of the 15 recommendations, being one not applicable. The present document is the assessment of securities and derivatives settlement systems in the PRC based on the recommendations of the Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems (CPSS) and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) for RSSS and the recommendations of CPSS-IOSCO for Central Counterparties (RCCP). The paper is divided into following five parts: the first part gives general information; the second gives information and methodology used for assessment; the third part is securities and derivatives settlement systems infrastructure overview; the fourth part is main findings from the assessment with international standards; and the fifth part gives authorities' response.

People's Bank of China (PBC) has carried out a major and comprehensive reform of the China National Payments System (CNPS). The PBC implemented the China National Advanced Payment System (CNAPS), which consists of the High-Value Payment System (HVPS) and the Bulk Electronic Payment System (BEPS). The HVPS system currently operates in a tiered way with a national processing center (NPC) and 32 local processing centers (LCPs). The HVPS system is interconnected to many trading, payments, and securities settlement systems (SSS) to allow for central bank money settlement. In addition, there is numerous cheque clearing houses around the country administered by the PBC local offices or delegated to banks. China Union Pay (CUP) handles the clearance of cards transactions whose balances are settled in the HVPS. Also automated clearinghouses (ACHs) and other systems handle clearance and settlement for a variety of payment instruments. The HVPS is a systemically important payment system, as it is the backbone of the national payments system in China. The HVPS handled transactions for a value of CY 804 trillion in 2009, approximately 24 times the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) value. Thus, the HVPS is being assessed against the ten Core Principles for Systemically Important Payment Systems (CPSIPS) of the Committee for Payment and Settlement Systems (CPSS) and the four responsibilities of the central banks in applying the CPSIPS. The BEPS is not currently a systemically important payment system. However, its importance for an efficient settlement of the interbank payment system is growing. The present document is the assessment of the systemically important payment systems in the People's Republic of China (PRC) based on the CPSS CPSIPS. The document also contains an analysis of some developmental issues related to the reform of the payments system as a whole. The assessment was conducted in the context of the first field mission of the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) to the PRC (June 2010).