Lou Jiwei is making soothing noises. Last week the head of the US$200 billion China Investment Corp promised the mainland's new sovereign wealth fund would not destabilise international financial markets.
His reassurances are timely, given the growing nervousness among western politicians about the increasing influence of state investment funds in general and the murky objectives of the CIC in particular.
But his caution may not be driven solely by political expedience. It may also make sound investment sense.
Speaking last week, Mr Lou, a former vice minister of finance, said the CIC will be 'a stabilising force in the international capital markets', and that it could be up to a year before the fund is ready to begin making major foreign investments.
His comments follow confirmation last month that only around a third of the CIC's assets under management are to be earmarked for international investment. The rest is being used to acquire the mainland central bank's stakes in a clutch of state-controlled commercial banks and to help recapitalise Agricultural Bank of China and China Development Bank.
Clearly Mr Lou is anxious to calm fears that a sudden influx of mainland money could rock shaky international asset markets and to allay suspicions that the CIC is a front to help Beijing grab control of strategic industries in the United States and Europe.