This spring, for instance, a law was passed that will all but repeal the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Act.

ECONOMIST: Japanese finance

Foreign securities are another option, but investors can buy them only through a securities firm, and the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Act still puts obstacles in their way.

ECONOMIST: Not all it should be

What remains of the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Act still discourages foreign investment.

ECONOMIST: Japanese finance

With Beijing traditionally having kept tight control over foreign exchange, CDB and to a lesser extent the Export-Import Bank of China, a fellow policy bank have dominated the funding of overseas projects and investments of Chinese firms.

WSJ: China in Talks With U.S. Home Builder

They predict a squeeze on imports, with a cut of around a third in the foreign currency dispensed by the government's exchange-control watchdog.

ECONOMIST: Hugo Ch��vez's Venezuela

With inflation under much better control, floating exchange rates (China is a big exception) and well-stocked foreign-exchange reserves now dominate in the emerging world, providing protection against falling exports and flighty foreign investors.

ECONOMIST: Emerging markets