China central bank governor Zhou says likely to retire soon

[BEIJING] China's central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan said on Thursday that he is likely to retire soon, confirming an earlier Reuters report.

"Either way it'll be soon," Mr Zhou said on the sidelines of the Communist Party Congress, when asked whether he would retire this year or next.

Sources with ties to the leadership and close the central bank had told Reuters that Mr Zhou is likely to retire around the time of the annual session of parliament next March.

China's top banking regulator Guo Shuqing and veteran banker Jiang Chaoliang are front runners to succeed Zhou Xiaochuan, the country's longest-serving central bank head, according the sources.

REUTERS