OK, this is a link you will have to cut and paste. It's a terrific discussion of Chinese banking by two experts who do not mince words, Carl Walter of JP Morgan and Victor Shih of Northwestern University. Both have a great sense of history and go to some length to portray how economic and monetary arrangements for these “banks” differ from what most of us would assume. The discussion includes periodic crises and the creative means used to rescue banks, the unusually high level of financial assets for an emerging economy, the sustainability of growth, and the role of banks in the political system. It is in four parts and is a video interview that lasts an hour total, so if you are not interested in the topic, save your time. I found it useful to listen while doing other "non-mind-absorbing" tasks. http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/08/chinese-banks-these-things-arent-banks.html