Standard Chartered Group CEO Bill Winters: Chinese Government Bonds Possess Sound Investment Value, Continued Appeal to Foreign Capital

Standard Chartered Group CEO Win Tho Siu said on March 22 during the China Development High-Level Forum 2026 Annual Conference that China’s economy and bond market are large, and the financial market opening has achieved significant results. As the internationalization of the Renminbi progresses, international investors’ demand for Renminbi assets continues to grow, and Chinese government bonds have solid investment value.

“One of the key aspects of financial opening-up is providing international investors with more convenient investment channels and a stable, predictable institutional environment,” Win Tho Siu stated. Currently, with the complex global geopolitical landscape, China is experiencing a very special development opportunity. With a stable market environment, it will be well-positioned to attract international investors.

Regarding geopolitical impacts, Win Tho Siu believes that conflicts in the Gulf region push up oil prices, which negatively affect global economic recovery. Although some oil-producing countries benefit in the short term, high oil prices will suppress related demand in the long run. However, China’s direct impact from geopolitical conflicts is relatively limited.

When asked about Chinese companies that Standard Chartered is interested in, Win Tho Siu admitted that he hopes to further understand AI company DeepSeek. Although it is not yet clear what specific needs it may have for banking services, he has already used the product, and its disruptive changes are impressive. He revealed that during his time in China, he mainly used DeepSeek, while in the U.S., he used Gemini or ChatGPT.

In Win Tho Siu’s view, China has comprehensive development potential and is highly competitive in empowering the real economy with artificial intelligence, including manufacturing process optimization, logistics efficiency improvements, and breakthroughs in biopharmaceutical R&D. China has already established significant advantages in these areas, with some fields leading globally.

Regarding new drivers of China’s economic development, he believes that China’s innovation-driven economy is strong, with prominent advantages in new energy and green technology sectors. The high-end industries such as chips continue to rise, and frontier fields like quantum computing and nuclear fusion are expected to play important roles in China in the future.