SWFs are catalysts, harbingers of stable growth

Editor's note: Jin Liqun, chairman of the supervisory board of China Investment Corporation and deputy chairman of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds speaks to China Daily about efforts to improve understanding of the role the funds play in the global economy.

Q: Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) have recently attracted a lot of attention from the general public, particularly in advanced economies. It seems that not many people know about this kind of funds. Could you please tell us more about SWFs?

A: Curiosity about something unknown or unheard of is quite normal. SWFs have been existence for more than half a century and there has never been any issue about this particular kind of fund. I think that the recent attention given to SWFs is partly due to the increased visibility of these funds in the years running up to the financial crisis, and partly due to the financial protectionism, which tends to sound a false alarm about the impact of SWFs on recipient countries.