Analysis: Banks play cat-and-mouse with Beijing to comply with rules

HONG KONG/SHANGHAI: China's banks are playing a game of cat-and-mouse with the Beijing authorities, window-dressing deposit numbers at the end of each quarter to meet regulatory requirements on how much funds they must hold.

This practice, which started last year, exaggerates the size and stability of banks' liquidity and masks any stresses on the country's financial system at a time when the world's second-biggest economy is expanding at the weakest pace since 2009.