Development of Local Financial Systems in Mainland China.

The article presents the study conducted by two Beijing-based economic geographers concerning the local financial systems in China. The study analyzes the most recently available 2006 regional data on exogenous and endogenous banks, highlighting the differences between the country's coastal and the lagging rural provinces in the country's central and western macroregions. It also examines the geographic distribution of bank branches and assets in Shanghai, the country's traditional financial center, which has attracted the bulk of foreign-owned banks and financial service providers seeking entry in Chinese market.