2.2. Overview of the Chinese life insurance industry
The Chinese life insurance industry is often described as having experienced rapid expansion over the past decade, with life insurance premiums increasing from RMB 406 billion in 2006 to approximately RMB 1.05 trillion in 2010. Records show that the growth rate was a remarkable 158%. During the same period, the number of life insurance companies increased from 45 to 61. Increasing demand and the immaturity of the industry all explain the strong growth and the potential of the Chinese life insurance industry to help drive China's growing economy.
Since China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 11 December 2001 [50], it has experienced an influx of foreign insurance companies. Most restrictions on ownership and business scope were abolished by the end of 2004. However, foreign life insurers still face huge barriers in terms of ownership, in that they are only allowed to enter the Chinese life insurance industry by setting up a joint venture with a local counterpart or by holding a maximum 50% share in a joint venture. In other words, the Chinese life insurance industry is still dominated by local life insurers, with China Life Insurance Co., Ltd. commanding a market share of around 45% in 2006. The concentration ratio of the top 5 Chinese life insurers in 2006 was approximately 92%. This is supported by the relatively high Herfindahl index in 2006 of 0.254.
Enticed by the great potential of China's life insurance market, foreign life insurers have made significant inroads. Evidently, the concentration ratio of the top 5 Chinese life insurers dropped from 92% in 2006 to about 73% in 2010. The Herfindahl index also dropped from 0.254 in 2006 to 0.154 in 2010. This implies that the competitive environment faced by the Chinese life insurers has intensified. The flood of foreign life insurers into China has also had positive impacts such as inflows of knowledge and skills. Indirectly, the greater level of competition has encouraged innovation and positive development in the industry.